Proceedings Article | 21 February 2020
KEYWORDS: Luminescence, Light emitting diodes, Point-of-care devices, Imaging systems, Optical filters, Cameras, Image processing, LCDs, Control systems, Algorithm development
In a world with a growing need for rapid medical diagnosis, point-of-care devices based on optics have become an interesting solution. Moreover, the low cost, simplicity, and ease of use also become essential to be applied in a clinical environment. Nowadays, smartphones are an attractive, user-friendly option, but the rapid changes in the models, the variety of brands, and the risk of contamination of personal smartphones in a clinical situation make this choose not the best one. Single-board computers as Raspberry Pi can be an alternative for a low-cost imaging device that allows image acquisition, visualization, and processing. This study describes a portable system capable of acquiring and processing white light and fluorescence images, suitable for clinical purposes. The system consists of a single-board computer (Raspberry Pi 3B+, Raspberry Pi Foundation, UK) coupled to a digital camera and a touchscreen display. The portable device comprises six violet LEDs (emitting at 407 nm) to excite the tissue and a long-pass optical filter to acquire the fluorescence images; four white LEDs to obtain the white light one, besides a digital camera to perform the acquisition itself. The images are saved in the singleboard computer, where an algorithm written in Python (Python Foundation) calibrates the camera, acquires, and processes the acquired images, interacting with the user through touch with a GUI. Being a portable, easy to use, low-cost system, this device is convenient to be used in a clinical environment and allows a fast diagnosis and the possibility to be reproduced for widespread point-of-care use.
