Wearable, high-density fNIRS and diffuse optical tomography technologies: a perspective

Ernesto E Vidal-Rosas; Alexander von Lühmann; Paola Pinti; Robert J Cooper

doi:10.1117/1.NPh.10.2.023513

Wearable, high-density fNIRS and diffuse optical tomography technologies: a perspective

Neurophotonics. 2023 Apr;10(2):023513. doi: 10.1117/1.NPh.10.2.023513. Epub 2023 May 17.

Authors

Ernesto E Vidal-Rosas^{1

2}, Alexander von Lühmann^{3

4}, Paola Pinti^{5

6}, Robert J Cooper¹

Affiliations

¹ University College London, DOT-HUB, Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, London, United Kingdom.
² Gowerlabs Ltd., London, United Kingdom.
³ Technische Universität Berlin - BIFOLD, Intelligent Biomedical Sensing Lab, Machine Learning Department, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Boston University, Neurophotonics Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
⁵ University of London, Birkbeck College, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, London, United Kingdom.
⁶ University College London, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Recent progress in optoelectronics has made wearable and high-density functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) technologies possible for the first time. These technologies have the potential to open new fields of real-world neuroscience by enabling functional neuroimaging of the human cortex at a resolution comparable to fMRI in almost any environment and population. In this perspective article, we provide a brief overview of the history and the current status of wearable high-density fNIRS and DOT approaches, discuss the greatest ongoing challenges, and provide our thoughts on the future of this remarkable technology.

Keywords: diffuse optical tomography; functional near-infrared spectroscopy; functional neuroimaging; high-density diffuse optical tomography; wearable.