Recent Advances in Intelligent Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Device, Techniques and Sensors

Dear Colleagues,

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology is rooted in the principle of weak coherent light interference, enabling innovative acquisition of images of sample planes or volumetric structures. It boasts multiple advantages, including non-invasiveness, non-destructiveness, and high sensitivity. One of OCT's remarkable features is its ability to simultaneously capture comprehensive imaging information of samples. OCT has surpassed the limitations of conventional imaging methods, offering a robust diagnosis approach in various medical domains, including ophthalmology, cardiovascular issues, and respiratory disorders.

OCT's applications range from biomedicine to the manufacturing, agriculture, and food sectors. In manufacturing, OCT is crucial for quality control, part inspection, and surface analysis, offering precise non-destructive testing. In agriculture, OCT provides novel perspectives and solutions for crop growth, soil structure, and quality assessment. In the food sector, OCT introduces new means for monitoring food quality, safety, and production processes.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, intelligent devices are being empowered by AI to achieve information perception, logical reasoning, and decision making. Intelligent devices have significantly reduced the workload of device operators while simultaneously greatly enhancing performance levels. In recent years, researchers have actively explored the intelligence of OCT devices, resulting in numerous application branches: optimization of OCT system performance (e.g., increasing imaging depth, reducing signal noise) and the development of AI-assisted OCT systems based on deep learning (capable of performing tasks like image classification, segmentation, and detection). Intelligent OCT devices are rapidly evolving towards precision, miniaturization, speed, and multi-modal integration.

This Special Issue focuses on research into the intelligence of OCT equipment, encompassing software, hardware, intelligent algorithms, and the application of intelligent OCT in fields such as medicine, industry, and art. In the realm of software, research includes, but is not limited to, real-time processing, enhancement, and noise reduction of OCT images. Regarding hardware, efforts focus on optimizing optical components to enhance imaging performance. In the realm of intelligent algorithms, our primary focus lies in utilizing methods such as deep learning and machine learning for feature extraction and automated analysis. With regard to applications, we aspire to witness the widespread application of intelligent OCT across various fields.

Prof. Dr. Zhihua Ding
Dr. Tianyu Zhang
Guest Editors

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• OCT acquisition
• OCT biometrics
• OCT image denoising
• high-resolution imaging
• intelligent sensors
• real-time processing
• OCT and machine learning
• visualization of OCT Data
• OCT and deep learning
• OCT for medical diagnostics
• OCT for automated optical inspection
• OCT for industrial weld monitoring