Vivek Boominathan
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Vivek Boominathan has a total of 116 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Ashok Veeraraghavan
Rice University
17 shared publications - Jacob T. Robinson
Rice University
8 shared publications Ashok Veeraraghavan
Rice University
5 shared publications- Jimin Wu
Department of Bioengineering, Rice University
4 shared publications - Jesse K. Adams
Applied Physics Program, Rice University, Houston, USA
3 shared publications - Rebecca Richards-Kortum
Rice University
3 shared publications
Latest Publications
- 25 September 2026
- Published by Springer Nature
- p. 120-137
PanoLess: Environment Reconstruction from Partial Reflective Views
- 25 September 2026
- Published by Springer Nature
- p. 120-137
PanoLess: Environment Reconstruction from Partial Reflective Views
- 12 September 2026
- Published by Springer Nature
- p. 592-608
Broadband Full Field of View Imaging with Computational Mirrors
- 12 September 2026
- Published by Springer Nature
- p. 592-608
Broadband Full Field of View Imaging with Computational Mirrors
- Open Access
- 11 May 2026
- Published by National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 123 (20)
Deep-learning endomicroscope with large field-of-view and depth-of-field for real-time in vivo imaging of epithelial cancer hallmarks
In vivo microscopy (IVM) has shown great promise to improve early detection of epithelial precancer, but it suffers from fundamental trade-offs that limit the resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and depth-of-field (DOF). Here, we present PrecisionView, a compact, deep learning-enabled endomicroscope that breaks these constraints and achieves 20 mm 2 FOV and 500 µm DOF with 4 µm resolution, representing approximately 5× increase in FOV and 8× larger DOF compared to conventional IVM with similar resolution. PrecisionView integrates a deep learning-optimized phase mask and real-time reconstruction, enabling rapid in vivo assessment of two key hallmarks of cancer: epithelial cell nuclear morphology and subsurface microvasculature through fluorescence and reflectance imaging. By imaging the oral cavity of healthy volunteers and cervical specimens with precancerous lesions, PrecisionView generates large-scale (1 to 3 cm 2 ) coregistered maps of cellular and vascular structures, revealing distinct microscopic patterns associated with anatomic structures and precancerous lesions. Our results suggest the potential of this computational endomicroscope to address the unmet need for early cancer detection at the point of care.
- 11 May 2026
- Published by National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 123 (20)
Open AccessDeep-learning endomicroscope with large field-of-view and depth-of-field for real-time in vivo imaging of epithelial cancer hallmarks
In vivo microscopy (IVM) has shown great promise to improve early detection of epithelial precancer, but it suffers from fundamental trade-offs that limit the resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and depth-of-field (DOF). Here, we present PrecisionView, a compact, deep learning-enabled endomicroscope that breaks these constraints and achieves 20 mm 2 FOV and 500 µm DOF with 4 µm resolution, representing approximately 5× increase in FOV and 8× larger DOF compared to conventional IVM with similar resolution. PrecisionView integrates a deep learning-optimized phase mask and real-time reconstruction, enabling rapid in vivo assessment of two key hallmarks of cancer: epithelial cell nuclear morphology and subsurface microvasculature through fluorescence and reflectance imaging. By imaging the oral cavity of healthy volunteers and cervical specimens with precancerous lesions, PrecisionView generates large-scale (1 to 3 cm 2 ) coregistered maps of cellular and vascular structures, revealing distinct microscopic patterns associated with anatomic structures and precancerous lesions. Our results suggest the potential of this computational endomicroscope to address the unmet need for early cancer detection at the point of care.
- Open Access
Dual-modality, deep-learning-enabled endomicroscope with large field-of-view and depth-of-field for real-time in vivo imaging of epithelial hallmarks of cancer
In vivo microscopy (IVM) has shown great promise to improve early detection of epithelial precancer, but it suffers from fundamental trade-offs that limit the resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and depth-of-field (DOF). Here, we present PrecisionView, a compact, deep-learning-enabled endomicroscope that breaks these constrains and achieves 20 mm 2 FOV and 500 µm DOF with 4 µm resolution, representing approximately 5× increase in FOV and 8× larger DOF compared to conventional IVM with similar resolution. PrecisionView integrates a deep-learning optimized phase mask and real-time reconstruction, enabling rapid in vivo assessment of two key hallmarks of cancer: epithelial cell nuclear morphology and subsurface microvasculature through fluorescence and reflectance imaging. By imaging oral cavity of healthy volunteers and cervical specimens with precancerous lesions, PrecisionView generates large-scale (1-3 cm 2 ) co-registered maps of cellular and vascular structures, revealing distinct microscopic patterns associated with anatomic structures and precancerous lesions. Our results suggest the potential of this computational endomicroscope to address the unmet need for early cancer detection at the point-of-care.
Open AccessDual-modality, deep-learning-enabled endomicroscope with large field-of-view and depth-of-field for real-time in vivo imaging of epithelial hallmarks of cancer
In vivo microscopy (IVM) has shown great promise to improve early detection of epithelial precancer, but it suffers from fundamental trade-offs that limit the resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and depth-of-field (DOF). Here, we present PrecisionView, a compact, deep-learning-enabled endomicroscope that breaks these constrains and achieves 20 mm 2 FOV and 500 µm DOF with 4 µm resolution, representing approximately 5× increase in FOV and 8× larger DOF compared to conventional IVM with similar resolution. PrecisionView integrates a deep-learning optimized phase mask and real-time reconstruction, enabling rapid in vivo assessment of two key hallmarks of cancer: epithelial cell nuclear morphology and subsurface microvasculature through fluorescence and reflectance imaging. By imaging oral cavity of healthy volunteers and cervical specimens with precancerous lesions, PrecisionView generates large-scale (1-3 cm 2 ) co-registered maps of cellular and vascular structures, revealing distinct microscopic patterns associated with anatomic structures and precancerous lesions. Our results suggest the potential of this computational endomicroscope to address the unmet need for early cancer detection at the point-of-care.
- 16 September 2025
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
- Vol. 60 (11) , 3895-3907
Compressive Sensing Photoacoustic Imaging Receiver With Matrix-Vector-Multiplication SAR ADC
Wearable photoacoustic imaging devices hold great promise for continuous health monitoring and point-of-care diagnostics. However, the large data volume generated by high-density transducer arrays presents a major challenge for realizing compact and power-efficient wearable systems. This article presents a photoacoustic imaging receiver (RX) that embeds compressive sensing directly into the hardware to address this bottleneck. The RX integrates 16 AFEs and four matrix-vector-multiplication (MVM) SAR ADCs that perform energy- and area-efficient analog-domain compression. The architecture achieves a $4\times $ – $8\times $ reduction in output data rate while preserving low-loss full-array information. The MVM SAR ADC executes passive and accurate MVM using user-defined programmable ternary weights. Two signal reconstruction methods are implemented: 1) an optimization approach using the fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm and 2) a learning-based approach employing implicit neural representation. Fabricated in 65-nm CMOS, the chip achieves an ADC’s signal-to-noise-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 57.5 dB at 20.41 MS/s, with an analog front-end (AFE) input-referred noise of 3.5 nV/ $\mathbf {(\text {Hz})^{1/2}}$ . MVM linearity measurements show $R^{2} \gt 0.999$ across a wide range of weights and input amplitudes. The system is validated through phantom imaging experiments, demonstrating high-fidelity image reconstruction under up to $8\times $ compression. The RX consumes 5.83 mW/channel and supports a general ternary-weighted measurement matrix, offering a compelling solution for next-generation miniaturized, wearable PA imaging systems.
- 16 September 2025
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
- Vol. 60 (11) , 3895-3907
Compressive Sensing Photoacoustic Imaging Receiver With Matrix-Vector-Multiplication SAR ADC
Wearable photoacoustic imaging devices hold great promise for continuous health monitoring and point-of-care diagnostics. However, the large data volume generated by high-density transducer arrays presents a major challenge for realizing compact and power-efficient wearable systems. This article presents a photoacoustic imaging receiver (RX) that embeds compressive sensing directly into the hardware to address this bottleneck. The RX integrates 16 AFEs and four matrix-vector-multiplication (MVM) SAR ADCs that perform energy- and area-efficient analog-domain compression. The architecture achieves a $4\times $ – $8\times $ reduction in output data rate while preserving low-loss full-array information. The MVM SAR ADC executes passive and accurate MVM using user-defined programmable ternary weights. Two signal reconstruction methods are implemented: 1) an optimization approach using the fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm and 2) a learning-based approach employing implicit neural representation. Fabricated in 65-nm CMOS, the chip achieves an ADC’s signal-to-noise-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 57.5 dB at 20.41 MS/s, with an analog front-end (AFE) input-referred noise of 3.5 nV/ $\mathbf {(\text {Hz})^{1/2}}$ . MVM linearity measurements show $R^{2} \gt 0.999$ across a wide range of weights and input amplitudes. The system is validated through phantom imaging experiments, demonstrating high-fidelity image reconstruction under up to $8\times $ compression. The RX consumes 5.83 mW/channel and supports a general ternary-weighted measurement matrix, offering a compelling solution for next-generation miniaturized, wearable PA imaging systems.
- 20 November 2024
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
- Vol. 47 (3) , 1564-1577
Streaming Quanta Sensors for Online, High-Performance Imaging and Vision
Recently quanta image sensors (QIS) – ultra-fast, zero-read-noise binary image sensors– have demonstrated remarkable imaging capabilities in many challenging scenarios. Despite their potential, the adoption of these sensors is severely hampered by (a) high data rates and (b) the need for new computational pipelines to handle the unconventional raw data. We introduce a simple, low-bandwidth computational pipeline to address these challenges. Our approach is based on a novel streaming representation with a small memory footprint, efficiently capturing intensity information at multiple temporal scales. Updating the representation requires only 24floating-point operations/pixel, which can be efficiently computed online at the native frame rate of the binary frames. We use a neural network operating on this representation to reconstruct videos in real-time (10-30 fps). We illustrate why such representation is well-suited for these emerging sensors, and how it offers low latency and high frame rate while retaining flexibility for downstream computer vision. Our approach results in significant data bandwidth reductions ($\sim 100\times$ ) and real-time image reconstruction and computer vision$-10^{4}\text{-}10^{5} \times$ reduction in computation than existing state-of-the-art approach (Ma et al. 2020), while maintaining comparable quality. To the best of our knowledge, our approach is the first to achieve online, real-time image reconstruction on QIS.- 20 November 2024
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
- Vol. 47 (3) , 1564-1577
Streaming Quanta Sensors for Online, High-Performance Imaging and Vision
Recently quanta image sensors (QIS) – ultra-fast, zero-read-noise binary image sensors– have demonstrated remarkable imaging capabilities in many challenging scenarios. Despite their potential, the adoption of these sensors is severely hampered by (a) high data rates and (b) the need for new computational pipelines to handle the unconventional raw data. We introduce a simple, low-bandwidth computational pipeline to address these challenges. Our approach is based on a novel streaming representation with a small memory footprint, efficiently capturing intensity information at multiple temporal scales. Updating the representation requires only 24floating-point operations/pixel, which can be efficiently computed online at the native frame rate of the binary frames. We use a neural network operating on this representation to reconstruct videos in real-time (10-30 fps). We illustrate why such representation is well-suited for these emerging sensors, and how it offers low latency and high frame rate while retaining flexibility for downstream computer vision. Our approach results in significant data bandwidth reductions ($\sim 100\times$ ) and real-time image reconstruction and computer vision$-10^{4}\text{-}10^{5} \times$ reduction in computation than existing state-of-the-art approach (Ma et al. 2020), while maintaining comparable quality. To the best of our knowledge, our approach is the first to achieve online, real-time image reconstruction on QIS.- 12 August 2024
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Electronics
- Vol. 7 (9) , 829-841
A subdural CMOS optical device for bidirectional neural interfacing
- 12 August 2024
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Electronics
- Vol. 7 (9) , 829-841
A subdural CMOS optical device for bidirectional neural interfacing
- 23 April 2024
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in ACS Nano
- Vol. 18 (18) , 11717-11731
Single Extracellular Vesicle Imaging and Computational Analysis Identifies Inherent Architectural Heterogeneity
Evaluating the heterogeneity of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is crucial for unraveling their complex actions and biodistribution. Here, we identify consistent architectural heterogeneity of EVs using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), which has an inherent ability to image biological samples without harsh labeling methods while preserving their native conformation. Imaging EVs isolated using different methodologies from distinct sources, such as cancer cells, normal cells, immortalized cells, and body fluids, we identify a structural atlas of their dominantly consistent shapes. We identify EV architectural attributes by utilizing a segmentation neural network model. In total, 7,576 individual EVs were imaged and quantified by our computational pipeline. Across all 7,576 independent EVs, the average eccentricity was 0.5366 ± 0.2, and the average equivalent diameter was 132.43 ± 67 nm. The architectural heterogeneity was consistent across all sources of EVs, independent of purification techniques, and compromised of single spherical, rod-like or tubular, and double shapes. This study will serve as a reference foundation for high-resolution images of EVs and offer insights into their potential biological impact.
- 23 April 2024
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in ACS Nano
- Vol. 18 (18) , 11717-11731
Single Extracellular Vesicle Imaging and Computational Analysis Identifies Inherent Architectural Heterogeneity
Evaluating the heterogeneity of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is crucial for unraveling their complex actions and biodistribution. Here, we identify consistent architectural heterogeneity of EVs using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), which has an inherent ability to image biological samples without harsh labeling methods while preserving their native conformation. Imaging EVs isolated using different methodologies from distinct sources, such as cancer cells, normal cells, immortalized cells, and body fluids, we identify a structural atlas of their dominantly consistent shapes. We identify EV architectural attributes by utilizing a segmentation neural network model. In total, 7,576 individual EVs were imaged and quantified by our computational pipeline. Across all 7,576 independent EVs, the average eccentricity was 0.5366 ± 0.2, and the average equivalent diameter was 132.43 ± 67 nm. The architectural heterogeneity was consistent across all sources of EVs, independent of purification techniques, and compromised of single spherical, rod-like or tubular, and double shapes. This study will serve as a reference foundation for high-resolution images of EVs and offer insights into their potential biological impact.
- 3 January 2024
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Optica
- Vol. 11 (1) , 18-25
Foveated thermal computational imaging prototype using all-silicon meta-optics
Foveated imaging provides a better tradeoff between situational awareness (field of view) and resolution, and is critical in long wavelength infrared regimes because of the size, weight, power, and cost of thermal sensors. We demonstrate computational foveated imaging by exploiting the ability of a meta-optical frontend to discriminate between different polarization states and a computational backend to reconstruct the captured image/video. The frontend is a three-element optic: the first element, which we call the “foveal” element, is a metalens that focuses s-polarized light at a distance of f1 without affecting the p-polarized light; the second element, which we call the “perifovea” element, is another metalens that focuses p-polarized light at a distance of f2 without affecting the s-polarized light. The third element is a freely rotating polarizer that dynamically changes the mixing ratios between the two polarization states. Both the foveal element (focal length=150mm; diameter=75mm) and the perifoveal element (focal length=25mm; diameter=25mm) were fabricated as polarization-sensitive, all-silicon, meta surfaces resulting in a large-aperture, 1:6 foveal expansion, thermal imaging capability. A computational backend then utilizes a deep image prior to separate the resultant multiplexed image or video into a foveated image consisting of a high resolution center and a lower-resolution large field of view context. We build a prototype system and demonstrate 12 frames per second real-time, thermal, foveated image and video capture..
- 3 January 2024
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Optica
- Vol. 11 (1) , 18-25
Foveated thermal computational imaging prototype using all-silicon meta-optics
Foveated imaging provides a better tradeoff between situational awareness (field of view) and resolution, and is critical in long wavelength infrared regimes because of the size, weight, power, and cost of thermal sensors. We demonstrate computational foveated imaging by exploiting the ability of a meta-optical frontend to discriminate between different polarization states and a computational backend to reconstruct the captured image/video. The frontend is a three-element optic: the first element, which we call the “foveal” element, is a metalens that focuses s-polarized light at a distance of f1 without affecting the p-polarized light; the second element, which we call the “perifovea” element, is another metalens that focuses p-polarized light at a distance of f2 without affecting the s-polarized light. The third element is a freely rotating polarizer that dynamically changes the mixing ratios between the two polarization states. Both the foveal element (focal length=150mm; diameter=75mm) and the perifoveal element (focal length=25mm; diameter=25mm) were fabricated as polarization-sensitive, all-silicon, meta surfaces resulting in a large-aperture, 1:6 foveal expansion, thermal imaging capability. A computational backend then utilizes a deep image prior to separate the resultant multiplexed image or video into a foveated image consisting of a high resolution center and a lower-resolution large field of view context. We build a prototype system and demonstrate 12 frames per second real-time, thermal, foveated image and video capture..
- 10 August 2023
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
- Vol. 47 (9) , 7316-7327
CoIR: Compressive Implicit Radar
Using millimeter wave (mmWave) signals for imaging has an important advantage in that they can penetrate through poor environmental conditions such as fog, dust, and smoke that severely degrade optical-based imaging systems. However, mmWave radars, contrary to cameras and LiDARs, suffer from low angular resolution because of small physical apertures and conventional signal processing techniques. Sparse radar imaging, on the other hand, can increase the aperture size while minimizing power consumption and read-out bandwidth. This article presents CoIR, an analysis by synthesis method that leverages the implicit neural network bias in convolutional decoders and compressed sensing to perform high-accuracy sparse radar imaging. The proposed system is data set-agnostic and does not require any auxiliary sensors for training or testing. We introduce a sparse array design that allows for a$5.5\times$ reduction in the number of antenna elements needed compared to conventional MIMO array designs. We demonstrate our system's improved imaging performance over standard mmWave radars and other competitive untrained methods on both simulated and experimental mmWave radar data.- 10 August 2023
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
- Vol. 47 (9) , 7316-7327
CoIR: Compressive Implicit Radar
Using millimeter wave (mmWave) signals for imaging has an important advantage in that they can penetrate through poor environmental conditions such as fog, dust, and smoke that severely degrade optical-based imaging systems. However, mmWave radars, contrary to cameras and LiDARs, suffer from low angular resolution because of small physical apertures and conventional signal processing techniques. Sparse radar imaging, on the other hand, can increase the aperture size while minimizing power consumption and read-out bandwidth. This article presents CoIR, an analysis by synthesis method that leverages the implicit neural network bias in convolutional decoders and compressed sensing to perform high-accuracy sparse radar imaging. The proposed system is data set-agnostic and does not require any auxiliary sensors for training or testing. We introduce a sparse array design that allows for a$5.5\times$ reduction in the number of antenna elements needed compared to conventional MIMO array designs. We demonstrate our system's improved imaging performance over standard mmWave radars and other competitive untrained methods on both simulated and experimental mmWave radar data.