Twin robotic X-ray computed tomography (CT) refers to CT systems in which two robotic arms are used to independently move the X-ray source and the X-ray detector around the object. This setup enables flexible CT scans by using robots to move the X-ray source and the X-ray detector around an object’s region of interest. This allows scans of large objects, image quality optimization and scan time reduction. Despite these advantages, robotic CT systems still face challenges that limit their widespread adoption. This paper discusses the state of twin robotic CT and its current main challenges. These challenges include the optimization of scanning trajectories, precise geometric calibration and advanced 3D reconstruction techniques.

Industrial x-ray computed tomography (CT) systems with high geometric flexibility are increasingly utilized for large-scale measurement objects or challenging measurement tasks. To maintain high accuracy when deviating from the established circular scan trajectory, trajectory calibration methods using multi-sphere reference objects with known marker positions are commonly employed. These multi-sphere objects can either be scanned together with the measurement object (online trajectory calibration) or in a separate scan (offline trajectory calibration). While offline calibration increases machine time, it generally results in higher scan quality. However, a sufficient pose repeatability is necessary to ensure comparable or even superior accuracy to online calibration. In this contribution, we present a straightforward procedure to compare both types of trajectory calibration in a way that the differences of the results can directly be traced back to the influence of the pose repeatability. The multi-sphere reference object is not only used for trajectory calibration, but simultaneously as a measurement object for repeated measurements. The methodology is tested on both a twin robotic CT system and a conventional CT system that is additionally equipped with a hexapod manipulator for adaptive object tilting. Results showed, independent from the type of trajectory calibration, systematic measurement errors in the order of 10⁻⁵–10⁻⁴ of measured sphere distances and sphericity values below 50 μ m . For sphere distances, random errors were increased by a factor of 5 due to the offline trajectory calibration, but were still low ( < 1 μ m ) in comparison to systematic errors and the spread of different measurement features. Overall, both investigated systems demonstrated sufficient positioning repeatability for offline trajectory calibration. The method is in general also applicable to any other types of manipulator systems used for CT devices. It provides a workflow for the decision which type of trajectory calibration is preferable for a given CT system.

Twin robotic X-ray computed tomography (CT) systems enable flexible CT scans by using robots to move the X-ray source and the X-ray detector around an object’s region of interest. This allows scans of large objects, image quality optimization and scan time reduction. Despite these advantages, robotic CT systems still face challenges that limit their widespread adoption. This paper discusses the state of twin robotic CT and its current main challenges. These challenges include optimization of scanning trajectories, precise geometric calibration and advanced 3D reconstruction techniques.

Robotic CT systems offer several advantages over conventional systems due to their high flexibility. They can perform almost any CT trajectory and are particularly well suited for region-of-interest (ROI) scans of objects that exceed the size limitations of conventional CT systems. However, robot-based manipulators have a significantly lower absolute positioning accuracy compared to conventional manipulators, necessitating additional calibration methods to refine the geometric information about the spatial position and orientation of the X-ray source and detector for each projection for higher resolution reconstructions. We propose a geometric calibration method for CT systems with twelve degrees of freedom that does not require additional calibration scans. The method is easy to use, computationally efficient, and supports continuous CT trajectories. It utilises spheres with unknown positions that are attached to the specimen. The calibration process is divided into two stages. First, the spatial positions of the spheres are estimated using the initial geometric information and the acquired projections. Second, these estimates serve as input to an iterative optimisation that calibrates each projection individually. The applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulations and real-world scans using a twin robotic CT system. Both quantitative and qualitative evaluations show a significant improvement in scan quality, comparable to results obtained via offline calibration. Moreover, evaluations on simulated data confirm the method’s robustness even for systems with positioning errors in the millimetre range. This novel online calibration technique is computationally efficient, compatible with highly flexible CT systems, and holds promise for enabling future mobile CT applications.