PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Beyond ambiguous reflections: Bridging optical 3D metrology and computer vision

A new method that is both accurate and widely applicable paves the way for three-dimensional imaging of reflective object surfaces

Beyond ambiguous reflections: Bridging optical 3D metrology and computer vision
2025-03-27
(Press-News.org)  Accurate and robust 3D imaging of specular, or mirror-like, surfaces is crucial in fields such as industrial inspection, medical imaging, virtual reality and cultural heritage preservation. Yet anyone who has visited a house of mirrors at an amusement park knows how difficult it is to judge the shape and distance of reflective objects.

This challenge also persists in science and engineering, where the accurate 3D imaging of specular surfaces has long been a focus in both optical metrology and computer vision research. While specialized techniques exist, their inherent limitations often confine them to narrow, domain-specific applications, preventing broader interdisciplinary use.

In a study published March 27 in the journal Optica, University of Arizona researchers from the Computational 3D Imaging and Measurement (3DIM) Lab at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences present a novel approach that significantly advances the 3D imaging of specular surfaces.

Their method seamlessly combines the information captured from two established techniques – Phase Measuring Deflectometry (PMD) and Shape from Polarization (SfP) – which are typically used in optical 3D metrology and computer vision research, respectively. In the new method, the benefits of both techniques complement each other in a manner never fully realized in previous work, paving the way for 3D imaging of specular objects that is both highly accurate and widely applicable.

Well-known for its high accuracy and precision, conventional Phase Measuring Deflectometry (PMD) is and is widely used in high-end applications to inspect optical lenses and telescopic mirrors or to detect defects in car bodies. However, PMD also comes with challenges.

Florian Willomitzer, associate professor of optical sciences, director of the 3DIM lab and principal investigator of the study explained: “In particular, PMD suffers from inherent ambiguity issues. Overcoming these challenges typically requires either additional hardware or prior knowledge about the object's shape and distance—limiting PMD’s flexibility for general use.

“On the other hand, Shape from Polarization (SfP) is a well-established 3D imaging method in the computer vision community that is highly flexible," he said. "However, certain geometric assumptions limit its accuracy. This restricts the method to applications with low accuracy requirements or purely qualitative inspection cases."

Bridging the gap between Optical 3D Metrology and Computer Vision Research
The team’s new technique integrates the strengths of PMD and SfP while overcoming their weaknesses. Leveraging the geometrical information from deflectometry with polarization cues, the surface shape and normal field of the specular object can be accurately reconstructed—without the need for prior knowledge about the object, complex setups, or specific assumptions about the imaging model.

“We developed a mathematically rigorous and creative approach to combine these two sets of information,” said Jiazhang Wang, postdoctoral associate in Willomitzer’s lab, first author and lead researcher of the study. “This results in a novel measurement technique that accurately determines the object’s shape and surface normals without the typical ambiguities, ensuring both high accuracy and wide applicability. In essence, our new method is bridging the current technology gap between optical 3D metrology and computer vision.”

Single-Shot 3D Reconstruction: A Leap Toward Practical Motion-Robust Measurements
Traditional PMD and SfP are “multi-shot” methods and require capturing 8 to 30 or more camera images in succession to reconstruct one single 3D model, making them highly susceptible to motion artifacts.

“The slightest movement during this sequence introduces severe reconstruction errors and renders the results unusable,” explained Wang. “By integrating novel hardware designs with advanced reconstruction algorithms, our method can now extract all required information from one single camera image. This can enable real-time, hand-guided measurements and high-speed imaging of dynamic scenes.”

Wang, Willomitzer and co-author Oliver Cossairt, adjunct associate professor in electrical and computer engineering at Willomitzer’s and Wang’s previous institution Northwestern University, shared their excitement for the study’s possibilities.

“The single-shot capability is a crucial advancement for applications where motion robustness is essential,” Wang said, “such as measuring fast-moving parts on a conveyor belt or scanning objects by hand-guiding the sensor.”

Pushing the Limits for Next-Generation 3D Sensors
A key aspect of this study was to understand and analyze the current limitations of 3D imaging on specular surfaces and use this knowledge to develop a sensor concept that overcomes these challenges while building upon the strengths of current PMD and SfP methods.

Willomitzer concluded that this way of tackling current imaging challenges has merit far beyond the “house of mirrors” problem of measuring specular surfaces.

“This mindset aligns closely with one of the core themes of our lab,” he said. “We strive to explore and exploit physical and information-theoretical limits to invent, develop and build the next generation of computational 3D imaging systems.”
 

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Beyond ambiguous reflections: Bridging optical 3D metrology and computer vision Beyond ambiguous reflections: Bridging optical 3D metrology and computer vision 2 Beyond ambiguous reflections: Bridging optical 3D metrology and computer vision 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Baylor Anthropology scientist Julie Hoggarth, Ph.D., named AAAS Fellow

Baylor Anthropology scientist Julie Hoggarth, Ph.D., named AAAS Fellow
2025-03-27
Noted Maya archaeologist Julie Hoggarth, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology at Baylor University, has been elected to the rank of AAAS Fellow, a lifetime honor announced today by the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Hoggarth is among the 471 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been elected 2024 Fellows for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers. The new Fellow class hails from academic institutions, ...

Joint clinical commitment will advance integration of telehealth, value of patient care

2025-03-27
DALLAS, March 27, 2025 — Recent analysis by the National Health Institute indicates that telehealth now accounts for 23% of all health care encounters nationwide, with some clinical specialties reporting virtual visit rates now exceeding 50%.[1] To help ensure quality care in this rapidly expanding field, the American Heart Association Center for Telehealth and the National Institutes of Health-funded University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Center for Virtual Care Value and Excellence (UNC-Chapel Hill ViVE), are building ...

The Protein Society announces its 2025 Award Recipients

2025-03-27
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Raluca Cadar The Protein Society Phone: (844) 377-6834 E-mail: rcadar@proteinsociety.org LOS ANGELES, CA – The Protein Society, the premier international society dedicated to supporting protein research, announces the winners of the 2025 Protein Society Awards, which will be recognized  at the 39th Annual Symposium, June 26 – 29, 2025, in San Francisco, USA. Plenary talks from award recipients will take place throughout the 3.5-day event. The winners’ scientific accomplishments, described by their nominators below, demonstrate their profound impact on protein science. The Christian B. Anfinsen ...

AI is as good as pathologists at diagnosing celiac disease, study finds

AI is as good as pathologists at diagnosing celiac disease, study finds
2025-03-27
A machine learning algorithm developed by Cambridge scientists was able to correctly identify in 97 cases out of 100 whether or not an individual had coeliac disease based on their biopsy, new research has shown. The AI tool, which has been trained on almost 3,400 scanned biopsies from four NHS hospitals, could speed up diagnosis of the condition and take pressure off stretched healthcare resources, as well as improving diagnosis in developing nations, where shortages of pathologists are severe. Digital ...

AI could help sonographers identify abnormalities in unborn babies more quickly

2025-03-27
Artificial intelligence (AI) could help sonographers identify any abnormalities at the 20-week pregnancy screening scan almost twice as quickly, without reducing the accuracy or reliability of diagnoses, a new study has shown. This will help improve patient care by allowing sonographers to focus on other aspects of the scan, such as communicating with parents or spending more time looking at any areas of concern. The trial is the first of its kind to use AI for the 20-week pregnancy scan on real patients, and is ...

First clinical trial of an AI therapy chatbot yields significant mental health benefits

First clinical trial of an AI therapy chatbot yields significant mental health benefits
2025-03-27
Dartmouth researchers conducted the first clinical trial of a therapy chatbot powered by generative AI and found that the software resulted in significant improvements in participants' symptoms, according to results published March 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine AI. People in the study also reported they could trust and communicate with the system, known as Therabot, to a degree that is comparable to working with a mental-health professional. The trial consisted of 106 people from across the United States diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or an eating disorder. ...

AI learns to ‘speak’ genetic ‘dialect’ for future SARS-CoV-2 mutation prediction

AI learns to ‘speak’ genetic ‘dialect’ for future SARS-CoV-2 mutation prediction
2025-03-27
It’s been five years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. As SARS-CoV-2 shifts to endemic status, questions about its future evolution remain. New variants of the virus will likely emerge, driven by positive selection for traits such as increased transmissibility, longer infection duration and the ability to evade immune defenses. These changes could allow the virus to spread among previously immunized populations, potentially triggering new waves of infection. Predicting new mutations in viruses is crucial for advancing life science research, particularly when trying to understand how viruses evolve, ...

$50 million gift from the Weill Family Foundation establishes the Weill Cancer Hub East

$50 million gift from the Weill Family Foundation establishes the Weill Cancer Hub East
2025-03-27
New York, N.Y., and Princeton, N.J. (March 27, 2025)—With a mission to understand how nutrition and metabolism impact the body’s ability to control cancer, four leading research institutions have united under the Weill Cancer Hub East, an innovative, collaborative partnership that aims to transform cancer treatment. The initiative connects world-class experts from Princeton University, The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research to enhance a ...

Physics meets art: a new twist on interference patterns

Physics meets art: a new twist on interference patterns
2025-03-27
Tokyo, Japan – One of the simplest and most beautiful naturally occurring patterns can be observed when light is shined through a pair of slightly misaligned periodic structures. This phenomenon, known as the moiré effect, is not only pretty to look at, but also has important consequences for the properties of materials. In an article published in ACS Nano, a team led by researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, announced the discovery of a previously unseen moiré pattern: a series of periodic one-dimensional bands in tungsten ditelluride bilayers. In nanomaterials, moiré patterns ...

Elevating global heart failure care with new certification

2025-03-27
DALLAS, March 27, 2025 — More than 56 million people globally live with heart failure (HF), which prevents the body from getting enough of the oxygen-rich blood it needs to work properly.[1] While there is no cure for HF, many people with this condition can live full, enjoyable lives and disease progression can be slowed with the right treatment. Research shows that outcomes for patients with HF improve when health care professionals and hospitals provide guideline-directed medical therapies. A new Heart Failure Center ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New study finds peripheral artery disease often underdiagnosed and undertreated; opportunity to improve treatments, lower death rates

Use of antidepressant medication linked to substantial increase in risk of sudden cardiac death 

Atrial fibrillation diagnosed in midlife is linked to a 21% increased risk of dementia at any age and a 36% higher risk of early-onset dementia 

Mode of death in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction

Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in heart failure with iron deficiency

Artificial intelligence in the prevention of sudden death

Oral semaglutide vastly reduces heart attacks, strokes in people with type 2 diabetes

Prothrombin complex concentrate vs frozen plasma for coagulopathic bleeding in cardiac surgery

Who needs a statin? New study compares prescribing recommendations based on traditional risk factors vs. coronary artery calcium scoring

Finerenone and atrial fibrillation in heart failure

Low coronary artery calcium score is associated with an excellent prognosis regardless of a person’s age, new study finds

Groundbreaking consensus statement on conduction system pacing released: a major milestone in the evolution of pacing therapy

Nuclear monitoring system suggests landslide cut off internet in west Africa

PNNL scientist elected AAAS fellow

American College of Cardiology recognizes five JACC Rocket Fuel Consultants

American College of Cardiology, Association of Black Cardiologists recognize three Merck Research Fellowship awardees

JACC to recognize 2025 Simon Dack Award recipients, Elite Reviewers

American College of Cardiology honors two recipients with the William A. Zoghbi Global Research Initiative Award

JACC recognizes five recipients of the William W. Parmley Young Author Achievement Award

Mass General Brigham researchers identify mutations that can lead to resistance to some chemotherapies

JACC journals honor 10 young researchers

Jefferson Lab Director Kimberly Sawyer named to CoVaBIZ Magazine’s 150 Most Influential People List

The world according to mosquitoes: USU ecologists lead AI-based effort to identify disease vectors

Drexel researchers develop new DNA test for personalized treatment of bacterial vaginosis

Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR, elected as American Association for Cancer Research President-Elect for 2025-2026

Brownie points for ChatGPT’s food analysis skills

The Giants Foundation provide 12 schools with CPR resources to improve cardiac emergency outcomes

Why scientists are worried about weasels

American College of Cardiology recognizes 21 Distinguished Award recipients

American College of Cardiology recognizes three recipients of the Hani Najm Global Scholar Award Observership Program

[Press-News.org] Beyond ambiguous reflections: Bridging optical 3D metrology and computer vision
A new method that is both accurate and widely applicable paves the way for three-dimensional imaging of reflective object surfaces