Dynamic Light Control Using Bionic Dielectric Elastomer Iris Actuators

Apertures are used in optical systems to limit the luminous flux. In the human eye the iris serves this purpose but can be damaged requiring an implant, which to date is static, limiting the optical performance. The authors thus report the development of a prototype demonstrating the feasibility of a flexible dynamic iris implant manufactured with an automated manufacturing technique. The presented actuators are printed via aerosol jet printing allowing a high reliability in produced electrode quality. Through optimization of the actuator design for maximum contraction they demonstrate a pupil area reduction of 13.40% or 6.94% reduction of pupil diameter, respectively. Thereby the prototype demonstrates an illuminance reduction of 18.25% in the central visual axis. Furthermore, they present a first iteration of a bionic closed‐loop control mimicking the human iris reflex thus laying the foundation for a self‐controlled iris implant. A dynamic shading membrane based on dielectric elastomers that mimic the human iris is developed. In order to optimize the function, the parameters are adapted to a finite element method analysis and the shading ability is evaluated. The results serve as a basis for the development of a fully functional iris implant.