Imaging monitors breathing in infants

MAY 1, 2009--A non-invasive imaging instrument to monitor the breathing of very young children with respiratory problems is being developed by researchers at the University of the West of England (UWE; Bristol, UK), in partnership with Bristol University (Bristol, UK) and consultants at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust's Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Frenchay Hospital.

Lyndon Smith from UWE's Machine Vision Lab is the principal investigator. He says they will be using a method called dynamic photometric stereo, which involves combining a camera with specially positioned lighting to create structured illumination of the body surface.

The resulting images will be processed and analyzed to enable the 3-D shape of the human torso to be recovered. Real-time imaging created using structured light helps to make the effect 4-D, which enables the researchers to detect and measure the movements of the chest and abdomen in real time. For more information, go to: http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/article.asp?item=1457

-- Posted by Conard Holton, Vision Systems Design, www.vision-systems.com