Rapid Multispectral Imaging of Physiologic Processes

Understanding and analyzing the human body’s physiological processes can be useful, but most of them cannot be seen with the naked human eye. Processes that could be of interest include blood content, oxygen levels, and perspiration levels – all of which directly relate to overall human health. This project offers a safe, low-cost and efficient way to image physiological processes.

The system hardware consists of 13 pairs of LEDs of varying wavelengths connected to an imaging system. The camera collects an image with each LED pair turned on, along with a single image with all LEDs turned off, resulting in 14 total images per system cycle. The Rapid Multispectral Imaging System (RMIS) can collect 500 photos per second and provide 10 frames per second of video output. After the photos are captured, the Python code calibrates the image using techniques such as flat field correction and background subtraction. Based on the optical properties of the imaging target, the code then analyzes the calibrated images to obtain physiological data. The resulting images are displayed on a graphical user interface, which also contains options for selecting the imaging target, analysis, wavelength and physiological data of interest. The system offers a wide range of applications in medical research and allows for adjustments to meet the needs of specific scenarios.