Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) are used as miniaturized interrogators for fiber sensing applications that have interesting applications in the medical field. Integrating fiber optic shape sensing in catheters enables navigation and position tracking to improve the accuracy and repeatability of medical treatments.
There are several applications in the medical field such as the haptic feedback during laparoscopic surgeries, here the fiber responds to the stress and strain in the pincher that are translated to haptic feedback. Also, fiber optic sensing has the potential to be employed for blood pressure evaluation so it can be used for the diagnosis of angioplasty, where a narrowed blood vessel in the coronary arteries is treated.