Automated robot-assisted wide-field optical coherence tomography using structured light camera

Xiaochen Li, Yong Huang*, Qun Hao

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising real-time and non-invasive imaging technology widely utilized in biomedical and material inspection domains. However, limited field of view (FOV) in conventional OCT systems hampers their broader applicability. Here, we propose an automated system integrating a structured light camera and robotic arm for large-area OCT scanning. The system precisely detects tissue contours, automates scan path generation, and enables accurate scanning of expansive sample areas. The proposed system consists of a robotic arm, a three-dimensional (3D) structured light camera, and a customized portable OCT probe. The 3D structured light camera is employed to generate a precise 3D point cloud of the sample surface, enabling automatic planning of the scanning path for the robotic arm. Meanwhile, the OCT probe is mounted on the robotic arm, facilitating scanning of the sample along the predetermined path. Continuous OCT B-scans are acquired during the scanning process, facilitating the generation of high-resolution and large-area 3D OCT reconstructions of the sample. We conducted position error tests and presented examples of 3D macroscopic imaging of different samples, such as ex vivo kidney, skin and leaf blade. The robotic arm can accurately reach the planned positions with an average absolute error of approximately 0.16 mm. The findings demonstrate that the proposed system enables the acquisition of 3D OCT images covering an area exceeding 20 cm2, indicating wide-ranging potential for utilization in diverse domains such as biomedical, industrial, and agricultural fields.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4310-4325
Number of pages16
JournalBiomedical Optics Express
Volume14
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2023

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