A low-cost, hand-held stereoscopic device for measuring dynamic deformations of skin in vivo

Abstract

Measuring the deformation of skin in vivo is useful in a number of applications. For example, the response of skin to a variety of mechanical loadings can provide information about the health of the underlying tissue. A number of devices have been developed for measuring the surface deformation of in vivo skin. However, existing devices are typically incapable of covering large areas of skin, or are expensive. To address these issues, we present the design and evaluation of a hand-held low-cost stereoscopic device for in vivo measurement of the dynamic surface deformation of skin. A camera rig with sufficient mechanical strength was designed to hold four high-speed synchronised cameras. The field of view (FOV) of the cameras is approximately 20 mm × 20 mm. A sample 2D deformation measurement of the surface of skin was performed to show the application of this device.