Advances in large area robotically assisted OCT (LARA-OCT): towards drive-by continuous motion imaging

Optical coherence tomography is a powerful imaging technique to visualize and localize depth-dependent tissue structure to differentiate between healthy and pathological conditions. However, conventional OCT systems are only capable of detecting small areas. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a large area robotically assisted OCT (LARA-OCT) system for automatic acquisition of large OCT images. Using mosaic pattern acquisition and subsequent stitching, we previously demonstrated initial in vivo OCT skin images beyond 10 cm². To improve acquisition speed and reduce dead times, we here demonstrate and analyze LARA-OCT with a new drive-by continuous motion imaging protocol.