SmartDAQ: Intelligent Data Acquisition System Enables Low-latency Photoacoustic Imaging System

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) stands at the cutting edge of biomedical imaging but faces significant challenges due to fixed data acquisition parameters and high latency in data transmission. These constraints curtail system adaptability and prolong data processing times, thereby hindering real-time applications such as intraoperative navigation due to the protracted transfer of raw data to CPUs or GPUs for image reconstruction. In this paper, we present SmartDAQ, an innovative intelligent data acquisition system that incorporates FPGA chips to enable dynamic reconfiguration of acquisition parameters and in-system PA image reconstruction. This groundbreaking approach significantly enhances system programmability and drastically reduces data transmission latency, thus making low-latency, real-time PAI systems feasible. We validated the smartDAQ system through in vivo experiments on a human finger, confirming its real-time imaging capabilities at 20 fps and its support for multiple algorithms, delivering high-quality images. These results underscore its potential for real-time clinical applications.