Search Results (31)

The abrupt light-to-dark or dark-to-light transitions at tunnel entrances and exits cause short-term, large-scale illumination changes, leading traditional RGB perception to suffer from exposure mutations, glare, and noise accumulation at critical moments, thereby triggering perception failures and blind zones. Addressing this typical failure scenario, this paper proposes a closed-loop enhancement solution centered on polarization imaging as a core physical prior, comprising a real-world polarimetric road dataset, a polarimetric physics-enhanced algorithm, and a beyond-fusion network, while satisfying both perception enhancement and real-time constraints. First, we construct the POLAR-GLV dataset, which is captured using a four-angle polarization camera under real highway tunnel conditions, covering the entire process of entering tunnels, inside tunnels, and exiting tunnels, systematically collecting data on adverse illumination and failure distributions in day–night traffic scenes. Second, we propose the Polarimetric Physical Enhancement with Adaptive Modulation (PPEAM) method, which uses Stokes parameters, DoLP, and AoLP as constraints. Leveraging the glare sensitivity of DoLP and richer texture information, it adaptively performs dark region enhancement and glare suppression according to scene brightness and dark region ratio, providing real-time polarization-based image enhancement. Finally, we design the Polar-PENet beyond-fusion network, which introduces Polarization-Aware Gates (PAG) and CBAM on top of physical priors, coupled with detection-driven perception-oriented loss and a beyond mechanism to explicitly fuse physics and deep semantics to surpass physical limitations. Experimental results show that compared to original images, Polar-PENet (beyond-fusion network) achieves PSNR and SSIM scores of 19.37 and 0.5487, respectively, on image quality metrics, surpassing the performance of PPEAM (polarimetric physics-enhanced algorithm) which scores 18.89 and 0.5257. In terms of downstream object detection performance, Polar-PENet performs exceptionally well in areas with drastic illumination changes such as tunnel entrances and exits, achieving a mAP of 63.7%, representing a 99.7% improvement over original images and a 12.1% performance boost over PPEAM’s 56.8%. In terms of processing speed, Polar-PENet is 2.85 times faster than the physics-enhanced algorithm PPEAM, with an inference speed of 183.45 frames per second, meeting the real-time requirements of autonomous driving and laying a solid foundation for practical deployment in edge computing environments. The research validates the effective paradigm of using polarimetric physics as a prior and surpassing physics through learning methods. Full article

Background/Objectives: Complex emotions in daily life often arise as mixtures of basic emotions, but most emotion-recognition systems still target a small set of discrete states and rely on contact-based sensing. This study aimed (1) to examine whether four compound emotions—Positive Surprise, Negative Surprise, Positive Sadness, and Negative Sadness—defined by valence direction within basic emotion categories can be differentiated using heart rate variability (HRV), and (2) to evaluate the feasibility of a camera-based contactless system (Deep Health Vision System, DHVS) by comparing it with a reference chest-strap device (Polar H10). Methods: Ten healthy adults viewed video clips designed to induce the four complex emotions. HRV was recorded simultaneously using Polar H10 and a webcam-based rPPG implementation of DHVS. Two-minute baseline and during-stimulus segments were extracted, and change rates of standard HRV indices were computed. After each stimulus, participants reported Valence, Arousal, Dominance, and proportional basic-emotion composition. Statistical analyses examined within-condition HRV changes, associations between HRV and self-reports, differences across emotion/valence conditions, and concordance between DHVS and Polar H10. Results: Self-reports confirmed distinct affective profiles for the four compound emotions. Positive and Negative Surprise were associated with heart rate reduction, while Positive Sadness showed reduced total power; Negative Sadness yielded heterogeneous but nonsignificant HRV changes. Specific HRV indices demonstrated condition-dependent correlations with Valence, Arousal, and Dominance. LF/HF changes were more sensitive to emotion category (Surprise vs. Sadness), whereas total power changes were more sensitive to valence (positive vs. negative). DHVS partially reproduced Polar H10 HRV patterns, with clearer concordance under positive-valence conditions. Conclusions: HRV captures distinct autonomic signatures of complex emotions defined by valence direction and shows meaningful links with subjective affective evaluations. LF/HF and total power provide complementary information on emotion category and valence-related autonomic reactivity, supporting indicator-specific modeling strategies. DHVS shows preliminary feasibility as a contactless HRV sensing platform for complex emotion recognition, warranting further validation with larger samples and more robust rPPG processing. Full article

Collagen is the primary load-bearing component in connective tissues, and its organization dictates the biomechanical properties and functions of the tissue. Polarized light imaging has been an effective tool for characterizing collagen organization. Recently, with the integration of structured light illumination (SLI), structured polarized light imaging (SPLI) has enabled quantification of collagen fiber orientation in the superficial layers of thick tissues with higher specificity and accuracy. However, SPLI typically requires 12 images to perform depth discrimination and collagen quantification, limiting its application in imaging tissue dynamics. To overcome this limitation, we developed a high-speed SPLI system that can perform continuous tracking and quantification of tissue deformation at 75 frames per second (FPS). High-speed SPLI was achieved by pairing a polarization camera with a rolling image processing technique. We evaluated the performance of high-speed SPLI on a bovine heart valve leaflet under uniaxial deformation. We were able to continuously track and quantify collagen fiber orientation at 75 FPS, with improved accuracy due to effective depth discrimination using SLI. Additionally, we demonstrated that reflectance with SLI is more sensitive to local collagen deformation compared to imaging without SLI, offering a complementary perspective for studying the dynamics of collagenous tissues. Full article

Arctic sea ice can be regarded as a sensitive indicator of climate change, and it has declined dramatically in recent decades. The swift decline in Arctic sea ice coverage leads to an expansion of the marginal ice zone (MIZ). In this study, an ice-based buoy with an imaging system is designed for the long-term observation of the changes in sea ice from the packed ice zone to the marginal ice zone in polar regions. The system composition, main buoy, image system, and buoy load were analyzed. An underwater camera supports a 640 × 480 resolution image acquisition, RS485 communication, stable operation at –40 °C, and long-term underwater sealing protection through a titanium alloy housing. During a continuous three-month field deployment in the Arctic, the system successfully captured images of ice-bottom morphology and biological attachment, demonstrating imaging reliability and operational stability under extreme conditions. In addition, the buoy employed a battery state estimation method based on the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). Compared with LSTM, BP, BiLSTM, SAELSTM, and RF models, the ELM achieved a test set performance of RMSE = 0.05 and MAE = 0.187, significantly outperforming the alternatives and thereby improving energy management and the reliability of long-term autonomous operation. Laboratory flume tests further verified the power generation performance of the wave energy-assisted supply system. However, due to the limited duration of Arctic deployment, full year-round performance has not yet been validated, and the imaging resolution remains insufficient for biological classification. The results indicate that the buoy demonstrates strong innovation and application potential for long-term polar observations, while further improvements are needed through extended deployments and enhanced imaging capability. Full article

Polarization information is essential for material identification, stress mapping, biological imaging, and robust vision under strong illumination, yet conventional approaches rely on external polarization optics and active biasing, which are bulky, alignment-sensitive, and power-hungry. A more desirable route is to encode polarization at the pixel level and read it out at zero bias, enabling compact, low-noise, and polarization imaging. Low-symmetry layered semiconductors provide persistent in-plane anisotropy as a materials basis for polarization selectivity. Here, we construct an eight-terminal radial ‘star-shaped’ Au/ReS₂ metal-semiconductor junction array pixel that operates in a genuine photovoltaic mode under zero external bias based on the photothermoelectric effect. Based on this, electrical summation of phase-matched multi-junction channels increases the signal amplitude approximately linearly without sacrificing the two-lobed modulation depth, achieving ‘gain by stacking’ without external amplification. The device exhibits millisecond-scale transient response and robust cycling stability and, as a minimal pixel unit, realizes polarization-resolved imaging and pattern recognition. Treating linear combinations of channels as operators in the polarization domain, these results provide a general pixel-level foundation for compact, zero-bias, and scalable polarization cameras and on-pixel computational sensing. Full article

Polarized light imaging (PLI) has been effective in visualizing and quantifying collagen content. Collagen-specific data are often overlaid over the tissue image for visualization. However, such contextual tissue images are typically in grayscale and lack important color information, limiting the usefulness of PLI in imaging the stained histology slides and for surgical guidance. The objective of this study was to develop a robust and easy-to-implement PLI technique to capture both true color and birefringent collagen data, and we call it ColorPOL. ColorPOL uses only one polarization-sensitive camera to capture information at 75 frames per second. The true color images were synthesized from individual RGB images, and collagen-specific information (fiber orientation and retardance) was derived from the green channel image. We implemented ColorPOL in transmission mode on an upright microscope and in reflection mode for wide-field thick tissue imaging. The color images in both implementations provided valuable color tissue context that facilitated the identification and localization of collagen content. Additionally, we demonstrated that in reflection mode, the high imaging speed enabled us to record and visualize continuous deformations of the collagenous tissues (tendons, sciatic nerves, and blood vessels) overlaid on the processed collagen-specific information. Robust performance and flexible configuration will make ColorPOL a valuable tool in basic research and translational applications. Full article

Colorimetric gas sensors are based on a color changing reaction of a sensor dye upon exposure to an analyte. For most sensor applications, the sensor dye must be immobilized in a sensor matrix. The choice of matrix significantly influences the dye’s response due to different physical and chemical effects. Ideal matrix materials should be transparent, stable, compatible with the sensor dye, and processable. Polymers are often applied as matrix materials, as they can be easily applied to sensor structures. In this study, we present a method to examine the impact of polymers of different structures and functionalities on sensor dyes. Therefore, 18 polymers are studied in combination with the pH indicator bromocresol green regarding their sensitivity to ammonia. The measurement setup is based on a camera as a detector of the color changing reaction of the sensor materials and allows for the simultaneous measurement of the sensor materials. Furthermore, the response and regeneration time, the stability, and the influence of the environmental parameters humidity and temperature on the colorimetric reaction are investigated. The study demonstrates that polymers as sensor matrices have an influence on the response of sensor dyes, due to their different properties, such as polarity. This has to be considered when choosing a suitable sensor matrix. Full article

Indirect time-of-flight (iToF) imaging is a widely applied technique to obtain a depth image from the phase difference of amplitude-modulated signals between emitted light and reflected light. The phase difference is computed via electrical correlation on a conventional iToF sensor. However, iToF sensors face a trade-off between spatial resolution and light collection efficiency because it is hard to downsize the circuit of the electrical correlation in a pixel. Thus, we propose a novel iToF depth imaging system based on polarization-modulated optical homodyne detection with a standard CMOS sensor. A resonant photoelastic modulator is employed to modulate the polarization state, enabling optical correlation through interaction with an analyzer. The homodyne detection enhances noise resistance and sensitivity in the phase difference estimation. Furthermore, the use of a polarization camera allows to reduce the number of measurements. We first validate the successful estimation of the phase difference in both setups with an avalanche photodiode or a CMOS sensor. The experimental results show accurate depth estimation even in challenging factors such as a low signal-to-noise ratio, temporal intensity variations, and speckle noise. The proposed system enables high-resolution iToF depth imaging using readily available image sensors. Full article

We developed and applied a new calibration method to make more accurate measurements with our multi-color ellipsometric mapping tool made from cheap parts. Ellipsometry is an optical technique that measures the relative change in the polarization state of the measurement beam induced by reflection from or transmission through a sample. During conventional ellipsometric measurement, the data collection is relatively slow and measures one spot at a time, so mapping needs a long time compared with our new optical mapping equipment made by an ordinary color LED monitor and a polarization-sensitive camera. The angle of incidence and the incident polarization state is varied point by point, so a special optical calibration method is needed. Three SiO₂ samples with different thicknesses were used for the point-by-point determination of the angle of incidence and rho (ρ) corrections. After the calibration, another SiO₂ sample was measured and analyzed using the calibrated corrections; further, this sample was independently measured using a conventional spectroscopic ellipsometer. The difference between the two measured thickness maps is less than 1 nm. Our optical mapping tool made from cheap parts is faster and covers wider area samples relative to conventional ellipsometers, and these correction enhancements further demonstrate its performance. Full article

Background: The gold standard for crystal arthritis diagnosis relies on the identification of either monosodium urate (MSU) or calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystals in synovial fluid. With the goal of enhanced crystal detection, we adapted a standard compensated polarized light microscope (CPLM) with a polarized digital camera and multi-focal depth imaging capabilities to create digital images from synovial fluid mounted on microscope slides. Using this single-shot computational polarized light microscopy (SCPLM) method, we compared rates of crystal detection and raters’ preference for image. Methods: Microscope slides from patients with either CPP, MSU, or no crystals in synovial fluid were acquired using CPLM and SCPLM methodologies. Detection rate, sensitivity, and specificity were evaluated by presenting expert crystal raters with (randomly sorted) CPLM and SCPLM digital images, from FOV above clinical samples. For each FOV and each method, each rater was asked to identify crystal suspects and their level of certainty for each crystal suspect and crystal type (MSU vs. CPP). Results: For the 283 crystal suspects evaluated, SCPLM resulted in higher crystal detection rates than did CPLM, for both CPP (51%. vs. 28%) and MSU (78% vs. 46%) crystals. Similarly, sensitivity was greater for SCPLM for CPP (0.63 vs. 0.35) and MSU (0.88 vs. 0.52) without giving up much specificity resulting in higher AUC. Conclusions: Subjective and objective measures of greater detection and higher certainty were observed for SCPLM over CPLM, particularly for CPP crystals. The digital data associated with these images can ultimately be incorporated into an automated crystal detection system that provides a quantitative report on crystal count, size, and morphology. Full article

A THz-to-IR converter can be an effective solution for the detection of low-IR-signature targets by combining the advantages of mature IR detection mechanisms with high atmospheric transmittance in the THz region. A metallic metasurface (MS)-based absorber with linear polarization dependence based on a split-ring resonator (SRR) unit cell has been previously studied as a preliminary example of a THz-to-IR converter structure in the literature. In this simulation-based study, a new cross-shaped unit cell-based metallic MS absorber structure sensitive to dual polarization is designed to eliminate linear polarization dependency, thereby allowing for incoherent detection of THz radiation. A model is developed to calculate the temperature difference and the response time for this new cross-shaped absorber structure, and its performance is compared to the SRR structure for both coherent and incoherent illumination. This model allows for understanding the efficiency of these structures by considering all loss mechanisms which previously had not been considered. It is found that both structures show similar performance under linearly polarized coherent illumination. However, under incoherent illumination, the IR emittance efficiency as gauged by the temperature difference for the cross-shaped structure is found to be twice as high as compared to the SRR structure. The results also imply that calculated temperature differences for both structures under coherent and incoherent illumination are well above the limit of the minimum resolvable temperature difference of the state-of-the-art IR cameras. Therefore, dual-polarized or multi-polarization-sensitive MS absorber structures can be crucial for developing cost-effective THz-to-IR converters and be implemented in THz imaging solutions. Full article

Melt pond is one of the most significant and important features of Arctic sea ice in the summer and can dramatically reduce the albedo of ice, promoting more energy into the upper ocean. The observation of the seasonal evolution of melt pond can improve our fundamental understanding of the role and sensitivity of sea ice in the context of global climate change. In this study, an ice-tethered observation system is developed for melt pond evolution with vision and temperature profile measurements. The system composition, structure of the ice-tethered buoy, freeze-resistant camera, and thermistor chain are analyzed. A sealed shell and electric heating wires are used to increase the temperature to around the camera in low-temperature environments. The ice thickness and depth of melt pond can be inverted using a specific interface recognition algorithm. A low-light image enhancement strategy is proposed to improve the quality of images under the low lighting conditions in polar regions. The proposed system was tested in the second reservoir of Fen River, Yellow River, from 15 January to 27 January 2021. An artificial freshwater pond was used as the location for thermistor chain deployment and observation. The differences in mean square error (MSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and feature similarity index (FSIM) between the original and enhanced images indicate that the proposed algorithm is suitable for low-light image enhancement. The research on the ice-tethered observation system will provide a new framework and technical support for the seasonal observation for melt pond. Full article

This paper develops an optical power limiter (OPL) utilizing dye-doped nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) in a twisted nematic configuration designed to protect charged-coupled devices from intense light damage. The device harnesses the intrinsic optical properties of NLCs, enhanced by dye doping, to control light transmission without external electric fields. Placed between two crossed polarizers, the NLC cell exploits both reorientational and thermal nonlinearities to reduce the activation thresholds and enhance responsiveness to fluctuating light intensities. The experiments employ a continuous-wave green laser, chosen for its peak interference in the visual field and alignment with CCD camera sensitivities, emphasizing the practical relevance of the OPL in the military and aviation sectors. The results indicate that integrating plastic polarizers and strategically adjusting thermal nonlinearity significantly lowers the operational threshold of the limiter, effectively counteracting high-intensity light exposure while allowing safe light levels. This approach offers effective CCD protection and demonstrates the potential for broad wavelength applications. The developed NLC-based OPL represents a significant advancement in dynamic light management technologies, promising extensive industrial applications. Full article

Interference of two and four light beams with linear or circular polarization is studied analytically and numerically based on the Richards–Wolf formalism. We consider such characteristics of the interference fields as the distribution of intensity, polarization, and spin angular momentum density. The generation of light fields with 1D and 2D periodic structure of both intensity and polarization is demonstrated. We can control the periodic structure both by changing the polarization state of the interfering beams and by changing the numerical aperture of focusing. We consider examples with a basic configuration, as well as those with a certain symmetry in the polarization state of the interfering beams. In some cases, increasing the numerical aperture of the focusing system significantly affects the generated distributions of both intensity and polarization. Experimental results, obtained using a polarization video camera, are in good agreement with the simulation results. The considered light fields can be used in laser processing of thin films of photosensitive (as well as polarization-sensitive) materials in order to create arrays of various ordered nano- and microstructures. Full article

The polarization crossfire (PCF) suite carried onboard the Chinese GaoFen-5B satellite is composed of a Particulate Observing Scanning Polarimeter (POSP) and a Directional Polarimetric Camera (DPC), which can provide multi-angle, multi-spectral, and polarization data. In this paper, the influence of polarization and the directionality of reflectance in open oceans on the inversion of chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations are investigated, from 410 nm to 670 nm. First, we exploit a vector radiative transfer model to simulate the absolute and relative magnitudes of the water-leaving radiance signal (I) and the parallel polarization radiance (PPR) to the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiation field. The simulation results show that the PPR can enhance the relative contribution of the water-leaving signal, especially in sunglint observation geometry. The water-leaving signal for PPR exhibits significant directional and spectral variations relative to the observation geometries, and the maximum value of the water-leaving signal for PPR occurs in the backscattering direction. In addition, the sensitivity of the PPR to the Chla concentration is sufficient. The synthetic datasets are utilized to develop retrieval algorithms for the Chla concentrations based on the back-propagation neural network (BPNN). The inversion results show that the PCF strategy improves the accuracy of Chla retrieval, with an RMSE of 0.014 and an RRMSE of 6.57%. Thus, it is an effective method for retrieving the Chla concentration in open oceans, by utilizing both the directionality and polarization of the reflectance. Full article