A cost-effective diffuse optical tomographic system for imaging absorbing and fluorescent targets in a scattering...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) offers high sensitivity and non-invasive imaging in scattering media like biological tissue.
• Conventional DOT systems are prohibitively expensive due to specialized equipment.
• There is a need for affordable DOT solutions for educational and research purposes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and build a cost-effective DOT system.
• To demonstrate its capability for imaging absorbing and fluorescent targets.
• To image temperature-induced fluorescence alterations in scattering media.

Main Methods:

• Utilized light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a mobile phone camera, and a low-cost microcontroller (Arduino Uno R3).
• Developed integrated hardware, control software, data acquisition, and processing.
• Implemented a 3D imaging reconstruction algorithm.

Main Results:

• Successfully designed, built, and characterized a budget-friendly DOT system.
• Demonstrated 3D imaging of absorbing and fluorescent targets.
• Showcased imaging of temperature-dependent fluorescence changes using a sensitive fluorophore.

Conclusions:

• The developed low-cost DOT system is feasible for 3D imaging in scattering media.
• This approach significantly reduces the cost barrier for DOT applications.
• The system is suitable for researchers, educators, and students with limited budgets.