Extended range tactility in material handling

Optical fibres sensitized to their geometric curvature are arranged in loops around an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) in order to extend the vehicle's tactile sensing range and allow larger speeds that require larger stopping distances. When the AGV approaches other objects (obstacles) within this range, fibre optic loops deform and sense the gradual change in their curvature. No intermediate mechanical elements are used to either transfer the impact loads onto the sensitive element or to provide compliance to it. Optical fibres themselves achieve these two functions simultaneously. As a result, tactility is achieved within a comparatively large position range extending over 15 cm. Throughout this range, virtually no reaction forces are generated with the impacting body. The range mentioned is on top of the one provided by the more traditional elastic bumper on which the optical fibres are mounted. Obstacle avoidance and wall-following AGV guidance can readily be achieved with such loops of optical fibre. A high degree of reactive capability and safety is hence provided in the system. With similar advantages, the method can likewise be applied to fixed or mobile material-handling robots.     

Quantum efficiency of silicon photodiodes in the near-infrared spectral range

The quantum efficiency of silicon photodiodes and factors that might be responsible for the drop in quantum efficiency in the near-infrared spectral range were analyzed. It was shown that poor reflectivity from the rear surface of the die could account for a decrease in Si photodiode quantum efficiency in near-infrared spectral range by more than 20%. The photodiode quantum efficiency was modeled with an appropriate representation for the carrier-collection efficiency dependence on the die penetration depth. A corrected analytical expression for calculating the photodiode quantum efficiency is given. Some methods to improve the quantum efficiency of silicon photodiodes in near-infrared spectral range are discussed.     

Simultaneous near-infrared diffusive light and ultrasound imaging

We have constructed a near-real-time combined imager suitable for simultaneous ultrasound and near-infrared diffusive light imaging and coregistration. The imager consists of a combined hand-held probe and the associated electronics for data acquisition. A two-dimensional ultrasound array is deployed at the center of the combined probe, and 12 dual-wavelength laser source fibers (780 and 830 nm) and 8 optical detector fibers are deployed at the periphery. We have experimentally evaluated the effects of missing optical sources in the middle of the combined probe on the accuracy of the reconstructed optical absorption coefficient and assessed the improvements of a reconstructed absorption coefficient with the guidance of the coregistered ultrasound. The results have shown that, when the central ultrasound array area is in the neighborhood of 2 cm x 2 cm, which corresponds to the size of most commercial ultrasound transducers, the optical imaging is not affected. The results have also shown that the iterative inversion algorithm converges quickly with the guidance of a priori three-dimensional target distribution, and only one iteration is needed to reconstruct an accurate optical absorption coefficient.     

Regional difference of water content in human skin studied by diffuse-reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy: consideration of measurement depth

Diffuse reflectance (DF) spectra in the 1250-2500 nm region were measured in vivo for the skin of the forehead, cheek, jaw, elbow, volar forearm, palm, knee, and heel of seven healthy volunteers, using a Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectrophotometer with a fiber-optic probe. Apparent regional differences of water content in the skin, as estimated from the diffuse reflectance NIR spectra, are discussed in relation to the influence of measurement depth. The NIR spectra were collected with or without a 300 microm gap between the fiber-optic probe and the skin surface. For comparison, in vitro NIR spectra of stratum corneum sheets equilibrated at 41, 50, 63, and 81% relative humidity, at 25 degrees C, were also obtained. There was a difference in the ratio of the two water bands centered near 1450 nm and 1900 nm between the contact and non-contact measurements. In addition, regional differences of water content calculated from the peak height of the 1900 nm water band, which was normalized to the peak height of the 2175 nm amide band, were compared. The results of Monte Carlo simulation indicated that the apparent regional differences arise at least in part from differences in the measurement depth due to differences in specular reflection at the skin surface and in the thickness of the stratum corneum.     

Rise of oil drops in water and fall of water drops in oil

Rise and fall velocities of oil drops in water and water drops in oil, respectively, are measured in a liquid column. The main perspective is on the similarity of the flows in these largely different cases. When the experimental data are plotted as the normalized rise velocity, which is the Reynolds number, versus the Archimedes number a common curve appears. This proves that similarity exists at least with respect to the velocity. Larger drops deviate considerably from the spherical shape. Nevertheless the data set can be represented by a formula derived from data on hard spheres. In particular the Stokes limit for Re→0 is nicely confirmed by measuring down to 10^? 4.     

Extended range of the Lockheed Martin coax Micro cryocooler

This paper describes the higher cooling capability of the Lockheed Martin coax Micro cryocooler thermal mechanical unit. The design of the previously qualified TRL6 Micro (Nast et al., 2014) [1] was modified to accommodate over twice the input power, greatly increasing the cooling capability. These Micro units are in a split configuration with the cold head separated from the compressor.This unit was optimized for cooling at 105 K and provides cooling over a wide range of temperatures. With a weight below 450 g, this small unit is ideal for compact instruments. Load lines were obtained over a range of powers, cold tip temperatures and rejection temperatures. This testing raised the Technology Readiness Level to six.     

Tumor contrast in time-domain, near-infrared laser breast imaging

The contrast of breast disease in an image produced by a time-domain, near-infrared laser, imaging system was calculated by use of a finite-difference method. The contrast was investigated for tumors of different sizes, in a range of positions within the breast, and in a range of breast thicknesses. Contrast is greatest for large tumors that are near the breast surfaces and that are measured at short times of flight. The contrast was shown to increase as the scattering and the absorption properties of the tumor increased. The scattering properties of the tumor were shown to make the biggest contribution to the contrast at short times of flight. Both pointlike and large extended source and detector configurations were investigated. The effect of the system size on the signal-to-noise ratio was investigated.     

Prediction of oil and oleic acid concentrations in individual corn (Zea mays L.) kernels using near-infrared reflectance hyperspectral imaging and multivariate analysis

Due to their heterogeneous structure and variability in form, individual corn (Zea mays L.) kernels present an optical challenge for nondestructive spectroscopic determination of their chemical composition. Increasing demand in agricultural science for knowledge of specific traits in kernels is driving the need to find high-throughput methods of examination. In this study macroscopic near-infrared (NIR) reflectance hyperspectral imaging was used to measure small sets of kernels in the spectroscopic range of 950 nm to 1700 nm. Image analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to determine kernel germ from endosperm regions as well as to define individual kernels as objects out of sets of kernels. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis was used to predict oil or oleic acid concentrations derived from germ or full kernel spectra. The relative precision of the minimum cross-validated root mean square error (RMSECV) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) for oil and oleic acid concentration were compared for two sets of two hundred kernels. An optimal statistical prediction method was determined using a limited set of wavelengths selected by a genetic algorithm. Given these parameters, oil content was predicted with an RMSEP of 0.7% and oleic acid content with an RMSEP of 14% for a given corn kernel.     

Real-time extended dynamic range imaging in shearography

Extended dynamic range (EDR) imaging is a postprocessing technique commonly associated with photography. Multiple images of a scene are recorded by the camera using different shutter settings and are merged into a single higher dynamic range image. Speckle interferometry and holography techniques require a well-modulated intensity signal to extract the phase information, and of these techniques shearography is most sensitive to different object surface reflectivities as it uses self-referencing from a sheared image. In this paper the authors demonstrate real-time EDR imaging in shearography and present experimental results from a difficult surface reflectivity sample: a wooden panel painting containing gold and dark earth color paint.     

Targeted luminescent near-infrared polymer-nanoprobes for in vivo imaging of tumor hypoxia

Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) were doped with an oxygen-sensitive near-infrared (NIR)-emissive palladium meso-tetraphenylporphyrin and an inert reference dye which are both excitable at 635 nm. The nanosensors were characterized with special emphasis on fundamental parameters such as absolute photoluminescence quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime. The PS-NPs were employed for ratiometric dual-wavelength and lifetime-based photoluminescent oxygen sensing. They were efficiently taken up by cultured murine alveolar macrophages, yielding a characteristic and reversible change in ratiometric response with decreasing oxygen concentration. This correlated with the cellular hypoxic status verified by analysis of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) accumulation. In addition, the surface of PS-NPs was functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the monoclonal antibody herceptin, and their binding to HER2/neu-overexpressing tumor cells was confirmed in vitro. First experiments with tumor-bearing mouse revealed a distinctive ratiometric response within the tumor upon hypoxic condition induced by animal sacrifice. These results demonstrate the potential of these referenced NIR nanosensors for in vitro and in vivo imaging that present a new generation of optical probes for oncology.     

Peptide-labeled near-infrared quantum dots for imaging tumor vasculature in living subjects

We report the in vivo targeting and imaging of tumor vasculature using arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide-labeled quantum dots (QDs). Athymic nude mice bearing subcutaneous U87MG human glioblastoma tumors were administered QD705-RGD intravenously. The tumor fluorescence intensity reached maximum at 6 h postinjection with good contrast. The results reported here open up new perspectives for integrin-targeted near-infrared optical imaging and may aid in cancer detection and management including imaging-guided surgery.     

pH-sensitive and biodegradable charge-transfer nanocomplex for second near-infrared photoacoustic tumor imaging

Nano Research - The emerging technique of photoacoustic imaging, especially in the near infra-red (NIR) window, permits high resolution, deep-penetration, clinically reliable sensing. However, few...     

Concentration detection of quantum dots in the visible and near-infrared range based on surface plasmon resonance sensor

We employ an optical sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) operating in the near-infrared and in the visible range to determine the concentration of CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) which are embedded in the SU8 organic films. Attenuated total reflection (ATR) measurements show that the amplitude of the shift of the resonance dip is closely related to the concentration variation of QDs in the organic films and the incident laser. The sensitivity is enhanced by 1.5-time and the detect limitation is expanded to 10⁻⁵ μmol/L in the visible range as compared to that in the near-infrared. The sensitivity enhancement and the expansion of detect limitation of the visible SPR sensor may originate from the coupling of surface plasmons to luminescence from QDs.     

Visualizing chemical compositions and kinetics of sol-gel by near-infrared multispectral imaging technique

Kinetics of sol-gel formation were studied using the recently developed near-infrared (NIR) multispectral imaging instrument. This imaging spectrometer possesses all the advantages of conventional spectrometers. It also has additional features that NIR spectrometers cannot offer, namely, its ability to provide kinetic information at different positions within a sample. The high spatial resolution and sensitivity of the InSb camera make it possible for the imaging spectrometer to determine the kinetic from data recorded by a single pixel. Kinetics of sol-gel reactions, determined by this multispectral imaging instrument, show that the initial hydrolysis of the TEOS, MTES, or a mixture of these two alkoxysilanes is relatively inhomogeneous. The inhomogeneity is dependent on the number of pixels used to calculate the spectrum for each spot. Data calculated from a single pixel provide the largest inhomogeneity. No inhomogeneity was observed when an average of a large number of pixels (e.g., 10 x 10) is used for calculation. The inhomogeneities observed for TEOS sol-gels are different from those for the MTES sol-gels, and those for sol-gels prepared from a mixture of TEOS and MTES are relatively larger and more similar to those of the MTES sol-gels. A variety of reasons might account for the observed inhomogeneities including differences in the structure of the TEOS sol-gels and MTES sol-gels and the inability of the TEOS to mix well with MTES with the latter being more hydrophobic.     

Novel near-infrared sampling apparatus for single kernel analysis of oil content in maize

A method of rapid, nondestructive chemical and physical analysis of individual maize (Zea mays L.) kernels is needed for the development of high value food, feed, and fuel traits. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy offers a robust nondestructive method of trait determination. However, traditional NIR bulk sampling techniques cannot be applied successfully to individual kernels. Obtaining optimized single kernel NIR spectra for applied chemometric predictive analysis requires a novel sampling technique that can account for the heterogeneous forms, morphologies, and opacities exhibited in individual maize kernels. In this study such a novel technique is described and compared to less effective means of single kernel NIR analysis. Results of the application of a partial least squares (PLS) derived model for predictive determination of percent oil content per individual kernel are shown.     

Design of near-infrared imaging probe with the assistance of ultrasound localization

A total of 364 optical source-detector pairs were deployed uniformly over a 9 cm x 9 cm probe area initially, and then the total pairs were reduced gradually to 60 in experimental and simulation studies. For each source-detector configuration, three-dimensional (3-D) images of a 1-cm-diameter absorber of different contrasts were reconstructed from the measurements made with a frequency-domain system. The results have shown that more than 160 source-detector pairs are needed to reconstruct the absorption coefficient to within 60% of the true value and appropriate spatial and contrast resolution. However, the error in target depth estimated from 3-D images was more than 1 cm in all source-detector configurations. With the a priori target depth information provided by ultrasound, the accuracy of the reconstructed absorption coefficient was improved by 15% and 30% on average, and the beam width was improved by 24% and 41% on average for high- and low-contrast cases, respectively. The speed of reconstruction was improved by ten times on average.     

Determining water content in human nails with a portable near-infrared spectrometer

The water content of human nail plates was determined using a portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer with an InGaAs photodiode array detector. NIR diffuse reflectance (DR) spectra were collected from 108 cut nail plates with different relative humidity and in vivo from fingernails. Partial least-squares (PLS) regression was applied to the NIR spectra in the 1115-1645 nm region to develop calibration models that determine the water content in the cut nail plates and fingernails. A good correlation was obtained between the NIR spectra and the water content measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the NIR measurement of both cut nail plates and fingernails. The results indicate that the water content in the nails can be determined very rapidly (1 s) by means of the portable NIR spectrometer and PLS regression.     

Optical diffuse reflectance accessory for measurements of skin tissue by near-infrared spectroscopy

An optimized accessory for measuring the diffuse reflectance spectra of human skin tissue in the near-infrared spectral range is presented. The device includes an on-axis ellipsoidal collecting mirror with efficient illumination optics for small sampling areas of bulky body specimens. The optical design is supported by the results of a Monte Carlo simulation study of the reflectance characteristics of skin tissue. Because the results evolved from efforts to measure blood glucose noninvasively, the main emphasis is placed on the long-wavelength near-infrared range where sufficient penetration depth for radiation into tissue is still available. The accessory is applied for in vivo diffuse reflectance measurements.