DATG 2.0 integrated liquid crystal sensing platform and tissue-equivalent phantom for high-resolution thermovascular imaging

In this letter, we present the DATG 2.0 project, aimed at developing a portable, radiation-free sensor for the 3-D reconstruction of semisuperficial vascular structures (up to 4–6 cm depth). The system is based on the integration of flexible liquid crystal sensors, high-frame-rate RGB imaging, and a dedicated cooling module. Surface cooling induces the thermal transient required to detect deeper vessels. The resulting temporal sequence of RGB images can be then processed using algorithms based on the inversion of the Fourier heat conduction equation to extract depth information. To validate the proposed system, a dedicated experimental setup was developed, including tissue-equivalent phantoms made of platinum-cured silicone with homogenous heating and hot millimeter-scale channels, designed to assess spatial resolution and reconstruction performance; a test system combining an infrared camera for hue-to-temperature conversion and for characterization; and an optical bench with adjustable supports to ensure reproducibility. Preliminary results indicate that the system is capable of providing high-resolution images of semisuperficial vascular structures. The DATG 2.0 platform provides an experimental basis for future developments in thermovascular mapping, with potential applications in clinical practice and telemedicine.