HERALDS: a flexible, high-resolution volumetric endoscopy—design, calibration, and performance evaluation

Quantitative 3D imaging technology is crucial for the identification, diagnosis, and assessment of treatment for gastrointestinal lesions, particularly in early-stage screening for polyps, which can prevent carcinogenesis. High-resolution Endoscopy with Resolved spatio-Angular disparity for Layered Depth Sensing (HERALDS), a flexible, high-resolution volumetric imaging tool, has been developed by our team for gastrointestinal lesion analysis. While its functionality has been established, its design principles and calibration methods have not been systematically discussed. Here, we introduce a systematic design strategy based on optimal spatial arrangement and information maximization to enhance imaging throughput, a comprehensive calibration framework to mitigate distortions and integration errors, and an efficient point spread function acquisition method to ensure reliable reconstruction. Further, we evaluate the system's resolution and the reconstructed algorithm via numerical simulations and verify the system's quantitative imaging performance through repeated measurements of a high-precision standard. This work not only supports the implementation and replication of the HERALDS system but also provides valuable insights into the design, calibration, and performance evaluation of multi-view 3D imaging systems, advancing the application of quantitative 3D imaging for the early detection and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.