Simulated and experimental evaluation of the accuracy of twin robotic CT systems

Abstract

Conventional industrial X-Ray CT systems are limited in their movement because of their limited degrees of freedom and overall design. Equipping CT with two industrial robotic arms, e.g. for manipulating source and detector, overcomes this limitation. Industrial robots are less restricted in the positioning and orientation of their X-ray tools than comparable industrial CT systems, making them flexible manipulators. However, their absolute positioning accuracy is usually below the minimum requirement for use in computed tomography. This paper proposes a calibration method with a variable, low-cost calibration body that allows pose correction of arbitrary projection geometries. The results from a twin robotic CT system will be evaluated via simulated projection data and actual experimental computer tomographic reconstruction.