Improved temperature measurement and modeling for 3D USCT II

Medical visualization plays a key role in the early diagnosis and detection of symptoms related to breast cancer. However, currently doctors must struggle to extract accurate and relevant information from the 2D models on which the medical field still relies. The problem is that 2D models lack the spatial definition necessary to extract all of the information a doctor might want. In order to address this gap, we are developing a machine capable of performing ultrasound computer tomography and reconstructing 3D images of the breasts - the KIT 3D USCT II. In order to accurately reconstruct the 3D image using ultrasound, we must first have an accurate temperature model. This is because the speed of sound varies significantly based on the temperature of the medium (in our case, water). We address this issue in three steps: so-called super-sampling, calibration, and modeling. Using these three steps, we were able to improve the accuracy of the hardware from ±1°C to just under 0.1°C.