acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

Review articles

Seeing Beneath the Skin with Computational Photography


diffuse optical tomography simulation

Credit: University of Strasbourg

From X-rays to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), methods for scanning the body have transformed how we understand and care for our health. These non-invasive techniques allow clinicians to observe and diagnose conditions while minimizing risks to the patient from invasive medical procedures. Recently, methods using red-green-blue (RGB) and near-infrared (NIR) cameras, other photosensors, such as more specialized and sophisticated tomography,6,8,40 and radio waves and Wi-Fi signals have enabled a range of new non-invasive and non-contact health monitoring techniques.1,8,12,21,22,26,28,32,33,40

Back to Top

Key Insights

ins01.gif

Human tissue interaction with visible and infra-red light is predominantly through scattering. There are two immediate consequences to this light scattering by tissue. Firstly, since the scattering is predominantly forward-scattering, photons can still illuminate deep into human tissue providing the potential to use light to image beneath the skin. Secondly, diffuse scattering, by definition diffuses the spatial coherence and localization in light patterns, making conventional imaging challenging. But the statistical and structural regularity present even in diffuse scattering provides us with the potential that computational demultiplexing algorithms along with imaging systems can provide sufficient spatial resolution in deep tissue imaging to be clinically useful.


 

No entries found

Log in to Read the Full Article

Sign In

Sign in using your ACM Web Account username and password to access premium content if you are an ACM member, Communications subscriber or Digital Library subscriber.

Need Access?

Please select one of the options below for access to premium content and features.

Create a Web Account

If you are already an ACM member, Communications subscriber, or Digital Library subscriber, please set up a web account to access premium content on this site.

Join the ACM

Become a member to take full advantage of ACM's outstanding computing information resources, networking opportunities, and other benefits.
  

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM Magazine

Get full access to 50+ years of CACM content and receive the print version of the magazine monthly.

Purchase the Article

Non-members can purchase this article or a copy of the magazine in which it appears.