Holography offers significant potential for AR/VR applications, yet its adoption is limited by the high demands of data compression. Existing deep learning approaches generally lack rate adaptivity within a single network. We present RAVQ-HoloNet, a rate-adaptive vector quantization framework that achieves high-fidelity reconstructions at low and ultra-low bit rates, outperforming current state-of-the-art methods. In low bit, our method exceeds by -33.91% in BD-Rate and achieves a BD-PSNR of 1.02 dB from the best existing method demonstrated by the rate-distortion curve.

W e propose a new hologram representation based on structured complex-valued 2D Gaussian primitives, which replaces per-pixel information storage and reduces the parameter search space by up to 10:1. T o enable end-to-end training, we develop a differentiable rasterizer for our representation, integrated with a GPU-optimized light propagation kernel in free space. Our extensive experiments show that our method achieves up to 2.5 lower VRAM usage and 50% faster optimization while producing higher-fidelity reconstructions than existing methods. W e further introduce a conversion procedure that adapts our representation to practical hologram formats, including smooth and random phase-only holograms. Our experiments show that this procedure can effectively suppress noise artifacts observed in previous methods. By reducing the hologram parameter search space, our representation enables a more scalable hologram estimation in the next-generation computer-generated holography systems.

While analysing rare blood cell aggregates remains challenging in automated h aematology, they could markedly advance label - free functional diagnostics. Conventional flow cytometers efficiently perform cell counting with leukocyte differentials but fail to identify aggregates with flagged results, requiring manual reviews. Quantitat ive phase imaging flow cytometry captures detailed aggregate morphologies, but clinical use is hampered by massive data storage and offline processing. Incorporating "hidden" biom arkers into routine haematology panels would significantly improve diagnostics with out flagged results. We present RT - HAD, a n end - to - end deep learning - based image and data processing framework for off - axis digital holographic microscopy (DHM), which combines physics - consistent holographic reconstruction and detection, represent ing each blood cell in a graph to recognize aggregates . RT - HAD processes >30 GB of image data on - the - fly with turnaround time of <1.5 min and error rate of 8.9% in platelet aggregate detection, which matches acceptable laboratory error rates of haematology biomarkers and solves the "big data" challenge for point - of - care diagnostics .

Reconstructing the 3D location and size of microparticles from diffraction images - holograms - is a computationally expensive inverse problem that has traditionally been solved using physics-based reconstruction methods. More recently, researchers have used machine learning methods to speed up the process. However, for small particles in large sample volumes the performance of these methods falls short of standard physics-based reconstruction methods. Here we designed a two-stage neural network architecture, FLASH$\mu$, to detect small particles (6-100$\mu$m) from holograms with large sample depths up to 20cm. Trained only on synthetic data with added physical noise, our method reliably detects particles of at least 9$\mu$m diameter in real holograms, comparable to the standard reconstruction-based approaches while operating on smaller crops, at quarter of the original resolution and providing roughly a 600-fold speedup. In addition to introducing a novel approach to a non-local object detection or signal demixing problem, our work could enable low-cost, real-time holographic imaging setups.

Human-robot interaction through mixed reality (MR) technologies enables novel, intuitive interfaces to control robots in remote operations. Such interfaces facilitate operations in hazardous environments, where human presence is risky, yet human oversight remains crucial. Potential environments include disaster response scenarios and areas with high radiation or toxic chemicals. In this paper we present an interface system projecting a 3D representation of a scanned room as a scaled-down 'dollhouse' hologram, allowing users to select and manipulate objects using a straightforward drag-and-drop interface. We then translate these drag-and-drop user commands into real-time robot actions based on the recent Spot-Compose framework. The Unity-based application provides an interactive tutorial and a user-friendly experience, ensuring ease of use. Through comprehensive end-to-end testing, we validate the system's capability in executing pick-and-place tasks and a complementary user study affirms the interface's intuitive controls. Our findings highlight the advantages of this interface in improving user experience and operational efficiency. This work lays the groundwork for a robust framework that advances the potential for seamless human-robot collaboration in diverse applications. Paper website: https://holospot.github.io/

Recent advances in deep learning-based image reconstruction techniques have led to significant progress in phase retrieval using digital in-line holographic microscopy (DIHM). However, existing deep learning-based phase retrieval methods have technical limitations in generalization performance and three-dimensional (3D) morphology reconstruction from a single-shot hologram of biological cells. In this study, we propose a novel deep learning model, named MorpHoloNet, for single-shot reconstruction of 3D morphology by integrating physics-driven and coordinate-based neural networks. By simulating the optical diffraction of coherent light through a 3D phase shift distribution, the proposed MorpHoloNet is optimized by minimizing the loss between the simulated and input holograms on the sensor plane. Compared to existing DIHM methods that face challenges with twin image and phase retrieval problems, MorpHoloNet enables direct reconstruction of 3D complex light field and 3D morphology of a test sample from its single-shot hologram without requiring multiple phase-shifted holograms or angle scanning. The performance of the proposed MorpHoloNet is validated by reconstructing 3D morphologies and refractive index distributions from synthetic holograms of ellipsoids and experimental holograms of biological cells. The proposed deep learning model is utilized to reconstruct spatiotemporal variations in 3D translational and rotational behaviors and morphological deformations of biological cells from consecutive single-shot holograms captured using DIHM. MorpHoloNet would pave the way for advancing label-free, real-time 3D imaging and dynamic analysis of biological cells under various cellular microenvironments in biomedical and engineering fields.

Acquiring high-quality demonstration data is essential for the success of data-driven methods, such as imitation learning. Existing platforms for providing demonstrations for manipulation tasks often impose significant physical and mental demands on the demonstrator, require additional hardware systems, or necessitate specialized domain knowledge. In this work, we present a novel augmented reality (AR) interface for teleoperating robotic manipulators, emphasizing the demonstrator's experience, particularly in the context of performing complex tasks that require precision and accuracy. This interface, designed for the Microsoft HoloLens 2, leverages the adaptable nature of mixed reality (MR), enabling users to control a physical robot through digital twin surrogates. We assess the effectiveness of our approach across three complex manipulation tasks and compare its performance against OPEN TEACH, a recent virtual reality (VR) teleoperation system, as well as two traditional control methods: kinesthetic teaching and a 3D SpaceMouse for end-effector control. Our findings show that our method performs comparably to the VR approach and demonstrates the potential for AR in data collection. Additionally, we conduct a pilot study to evaluate the usability and task load associated with each method. Results indicate that our AR-based system achieves higher usability scores than the VR benchmark and significantly reduces mental demand, physical effort, and frustration experienced by users. An accompanying video can be found at https://youtu.be/w-M58ohPgrA.

Solving Algebra Problems with Geometry Diagrams (APGDs) is still a challenging problem because diagram processing is not studied as intensively as language processing. To work against this challenge, this paper proposes a hologram reasoning scheme and develops a high-performance method for solving APGDs by using this scheme. To reach this goal, it first defines a hologram, being a kind of graph, and proposes a hologram generator to convert a given APGD into a hologram, which represents the entire information of APGD and the relations for solving the problem can be acquired from it by a uniform way. Then HGR, a hologram reasoning method employs a pool of prepared graph models to derive algebraic equations, which is consistent with the geometric theorems. This method is able to be updated by adding new graph models into the pool. Lastly, it employs deep reinforcement learning to enhance the efficiency of model selection from the pool. The entire HGR not only ensures high solution accuracy with fewer reasoning steps but also significantly enhances the interpretability of the solution process by providing descriptions of all reasoning steps. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of HGR in improving both accuracy and interpretability in solving APGDs.

Explicit communication is often valued for its directness during interaction. Implicit communication, on the other hand, is indirect in that its communicative content must be inferred. Implicit communication is considered more desirable in teaming situations that requires reduced interruptions for improved fluency. In this paper, we investigate another unique advantage of implicit communication: its ability to manipulate the perception of object or behavior of interest. When communication results in the perception of an object or behavior to deviate from other information (about the object or behavior) available via observation, it introduces a discrepancy between perception and observation. We show that such a discrepancy in visual perception can benefit human-robot interaction in a controlled manner and introduce an approach referred to as active shadowing (ASD). Through user studies, we demonstrate the effectiveness of active shadowing in creating a misaligned perception of the robot's behavior and its execution in the real-world, resulting in more efficient task completion without sacrificing its understandability. We also analyze conditions under which such visual manipulation is effective.

Researchers are exploring Augmented Reality (AR) interfaces for online robot programming to streamline automation and user interaction in variable manufacturing environments. This study introduces an AR interface for online programming and data visualization that integrates the human in the randomized robot path planning, reducing the inherent randomness of the methods with human intervention. The interface uses holographic items which correspond to physical elements to interact with a redundant manipulator. Utilizing Rapidly Random Tree Star (RRT*) and Spherical Linear Interpolation (SLERP) algorithms, the interface achieves end-effector s progression through collision-free path with smooth rotation. Next, Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) achieve robot s configurations for this progression. The platform executes the RRT* algorithm in a loop, with each iteration independently exploring the shortest path through random sampling, leading to variations in the optimized paths produced. These paths are then demonstrated to AR users, who select the most appropriate path based on the environmental context and their intuition. The accuracy and effectiveness of the interface are validated through its implementation and testing with a seven Degree-OF-Freedom (DOF) manipulator, indicating its potential to advance current practices in robot programming. The validation of this paper include two implementations demonstrating the value of human-in-the-loop and context awareness in robotics.