A prototype system for infrared computed tomography for image reconstruction

Computed Tomography (CT) is the mainstay of clinical medicine for diagnosis of various diseases and ailments. In recent years, the technique has been used successfully to detect subsurface defects and to reveal internal structures of objects in industrial settings. The principle and mathematics of tomography are no more esoteric to be understood by the experts but have percolated to the image processing text books invariably at undergraduate and graduate levels. To demonstrate the basic tomographic principle and various filtering techniques in a course on Medical Image Processing and Analysis, an inexpensive infrared based setup similar to the first generation CT scanners with accompanying GUI has been conceived and developed. Preliminary experimental results on phantoms are encouraging and demonstrate the viability of the system for its intended usage.