Multimodal Optical Imaging Platform for Quantitative Burn Assessment

Accurate assessment of burn severity at injury onset remains a major clinical challenge due to the lack of objective methods for detecting subsurface tissue damage. This limitation is critical in battlefield and mass-casualty settings, where rapid and reliable evaluation of burn depth is essential for triage and surgical decision-making. We present a multimodal optical imaging framework that establishes the foundation for a compact, low-size, weight, and power (low-SWaP) field-deployable device for quantitative burn assessment. The system integrates broadband hyperspectral imaging (VSWIR, 400-2100 nm) with laser speckle contrast imaging to jointly evaluate biochemical composition and microvascular perfusion. Using short-wave infrared (SWIR, >1000 nm) wavelengths, we developed and validated novel deep-tissue parameters linked to water, lipid, and collagen absorption features that enhance burn-tissue separability and burn severity classification. We implemented and validated unsupervised learning methods for spectral feature extraction, band down-selection, and clustering against histology, establishing a foundation for a rugged, data-driven device for early quantitative burn evaluation in austere environments.