Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Professor SAMANTA PIANO's Outputs (51)

Virtual Instrument for a Multi-illumination Dome System (2025)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Khanesar, M. A., Corcoran, H., MacDonald, L., Pawar, V., Robson, S., & Piano, S. (2025, April). Virtual Instrument for a Multi-illumination Dome System. Paper presented at ISPRS Geospatial Week (GSW 2025), Dubai, UAE

A virtual instrument has been developed to study a multi-illumination dome system on digital objects using a camera mounted on top of the dome. The reliability of the blender environment is investigated for simulating the functions of components of t... Read More about Virtual Instrument for a Multi-illumination Dome System.

Three-dimensional runout characterisation for rotationally symmetric components (2025)
Journal Article
Tompkins, C. G., Todhunter, L. D., Gottmann, H., Rettig, C., Schmitt, R., Wacker, J., & Piano, S. (2025). Three-dimensional runout characterisation for rotationally symmetric components. Communications Engineering, 4(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00354-0

Rotationally symmetric components are ubiquitous to modern devices, and their precision manufacture is necessary to keep costs and manufacture time down, as well as reduce waste and possibly hazardous component failure. Here we present a potential up... Read More about Three-dimensional runout characterisation for rotationally symmetric components.

Comparison of rigorous scattering models to accurately replicate the behaviour of scattered electromagnetic waves in optical surface metrology (2024)
Journal Article
Hooshmand, H., Pahl, T., Hansen, P.-E., Fu, L., Birk, A., Karamehmedović, M., Lehmann, P., Reichelt, S., Leach, R., & Piano, S. (2025). Comparison of rigorous scattering models to accurately replicate the behaviour of scattered electromagnetic waves in optical surface metrology. Journal of Computational Physics, 521, Article 113519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2024.113519

Rigorous scattering models are based on Maxwell's equations and can provide high-accuracy solutions to model electromagnetic wave scattering from objects. Being able to calculate the scattered field from any surface geometry and considering the effec... Read More about Comparison of rigorous scattering models to accurately replicate the behaviour of scattered electromagnetic waves in optical surface metrology.

Comparison of point cloud densification from multi-view stereo and 3D Gaussian splatting in industrial photogrammetry (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Yang, M. H., Isa, M. A., Thompson, A., Branson III, D. T., & Piano, S. (2024, October). Comparison of point cloud densification from multi-view stereo and 3D Gaussian splatting in industrial photogrammetry. Presented at 20th International Conference on Precision Engineering (ICPE 2024), Sendai, Japan

Photogrammetry is increasingly popular in the modern manufacturing industry, for performing non-contact fast optical measurements of manufactured components. During photogrammetry, the goal is to obtain accurate three-dimensional reconstructions of a... Read More about Comparison of point cloud densification from multi-view stereo and 3D Gaussian splatting in industrial photogrammetry.

Applying machine learning to optical metrology: a review (2024)
Journal Article
Xue, R., Hooshmand, H., Isa, M., Piano, S., & K Leach, R. (2024). Applying machine learning to optical metrology: a review. Measurement Science and Technology, 36(1), Article 012002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/ad7878

This literature review investigates the integration of machine learning (ML) into optical metrology, unveiling enhancements in both efficiency and effectiveness of measurement processes. With a focus on phase demodulation, unwrapping, and phase-to-he... Read More about Applying machine learning to optical metrology: a review.

Evaluating approximate and rigorous scattering models in virtual coherence scanning interferometry for improved surface topography measurement (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Hooshmand, H., Isa, M. A., Nikolaev, N., Piano, S., & Leach, R. (2024, August). Evaluating approximate and rigorous scattering models in virtual coherence scanning interferometry for improved surface topography measurement. Presented at Optical Manufacturing and Testing 2024, San Diego, USA

In optical metrology, the growing demand for accurate measurement technologies is driven by the increasing applications of three-dimensional (3D) microscopy and imaging. The advancement of these technologies relies on the modelling of the measurement... Read More about Evaluating approximate and rigorous scattering models in virtual coherence scanning interferometry for improved surface topography measurement.

Design and Construction of a Custom Measurement Device (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Nasr Azadani, S., Tompkins, C., & Piano, S. (2024, September). Design and Construction of a Custom Measurement Device. Poster presented at 3DMC (3D Metrology) 2024, Loughborough - United Kingdom

This study explores the next step in customised measurement instruments by reconsidering the assumption that confocal measurement devices cannot be manufactured using consumer-grade equipment. Historically, these devices have required specialised man... Read More about Design and Construction of a Custom Measurement Device.

Investigating the variation of particle distribution and surface texture of top surfaces based on build position in laser powder bed fusion (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Sithole, C., Hooshmand, H., Todhunter, L., Thompson, A., Hoekstra, S., Jalalian, A., Piano, S., & Gibson, I. (2024, May). Investigating the variation of particle distribution and surface texture of top surfaces based on build position in laser powder bed fusion. Presented at 7th CIRP Conference on Surface Integrity, Bremen, Germany

Quality analysis of additively manufactured (AM) surfaces is complex, yet critical for determining the functionality of parts and technology improvement. To accurately assess the quality of AM parts, it is necessary to consider the industrial applica... Read More about Investigating the variation of particle distribution and surface texture of top surfaces based on build position in laser powder bed fusion.

Enhancing single camera calibration results using artificial bee colony optimisation within a virtual environment (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Khanesar, M. A., Todhunter, L., Pawar, V., Corcoran, H., MacDonald, L., Robson, S., & Piano, S. (2024, June). Enhancing single camera calibration results using artificial bee colony optimisation within a virtual environment. Presented at euspen’s 24th International Conference & Exhibition, Dublin, IE, June 2024, Dublin, Ireland

Close range photogrammetry is among the top candidates for non-contact metrology in high precision applications. It is frequently used within industrial environments for high precision measurement, automation, and control tasks. When using off-the-sh... Read More about Enhancing single camera calibration results using artificial bee colony optimisation within a virtual environment.

Extracting focus variation data from coherence scanning interferometric measurements (2024)
Journal Article
Liu, J., Hooshmand, H., Piano, S., Leach, R., Coupland, J., Ren, M., Zhu, L., & Su, R. (2024). Extracting focus variation data from coherence scanning interferometric measurements. Precision Engineering, 88, 699-706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precisioneng.2024.04.016

Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI), based on the principle of interference, can achieve sub-nanometer precision for height measurements. On the other hand, focus variation microscopy (FVM), combining the small depth of field of the objective, is... Read More about Extracting focus variation data from coherence scanning interferometric measurements.

Comparison of Fourier optics-based methods for modeling coherence scanning interferometry (2024)
Journal Article
Hooshmand, H., Pahl, T., de Groot, P. J., Lehmann, P., Pappas, A., Su, R., Leach, R., & Piano, S. (2024). Comparison of Fourier optics-based methods for modeling coherence scanning interferometry. Optical Engineering, 63(4), Article 044102. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.63.4.044102

Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) is a widely used optical method for surface topography measurement of industrial and biomedical surfaces. The operation of CSI can be modeled using approximate physics-based approaches with minimal computationa... Read More about Comparison of Fourier optics-based methods for modeling coherence scanning interferometry.

Assessing the spatial distribution of positional error associated to dense point cloud measurements using regional Gaussian random fields (2024)
Journal Article
Wang, Y., Catalucci, S., Senin, N., & Piano, S. (2024). Assessing the spatial distribution of positional error associated to dense point cloud measurements using regional Gaussian random fields. Measurement, 227, Article 114194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2024.114194

Being able to assess the amount of uncertainty locally associated to dense point clouds generated by measurement can help investigate the relations between the metrological performance of a chosen measuring technology, and the local geometric and sur... Read More about Assessing the spatial distribution of positional error associated to dense point cloud measurements using regional Gaussian random fields.

Vision-based detection and coordinate metrology of a spatially encoded multi-sphere artefact (2023)
Journal Article
Isa, M. A., Leach, R., Branson, D., & Piano, S. (2024). Vision-based detection and coordinate metrology of a spatially encoded multi-sphere artefact. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 172, Article 107885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlaseng.2023.107885

New developments in vision algorithms prioritise identification and perception over accurate coordinate measurement due to the complex problem of resolving object form and pose from images. Consequently, many vision algorithms for coordinate measurem... Read More about Vision-based detection and coordinate metrology of a spatially encoded multi-sphere artefact.

Dynamic surface displacement measurement using carrier optical vortex interferometer: A numerical study (2023)
Journal Article
Dong, J., Hooshmand, H., Liu, M., & Piano, S. (2023). Dynamic surface displacement measurement using carrier optical vortex interferometer: A numerical study. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 171, Article 107824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlaseng.2023.107824

The measurement of dynamic surface displacement is crucial in understanding mechanical and thermophysical dynamics at nanometre to micrometre-scale. Interferometers using optical vortices are gaining attention due to their ability to demodulate fring... Read More about Dynamic surface displacement measurement using carrier optical vortex interferometer: A numerical study.

Comparison of approximate methods for modelling coherence scanning interferometry (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Hooshmand, H., Pahl, T., de Groot, P. J., Lehmann, P., Pappas, A., Su, R., Leach, R., & Piano, S. (2023, June). Comparison of approximate methods for modelling coherence scanning interferometry. Presented at Modeling Aspects in Optical Metrology IX, Munich, Germany

Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) is a widely used optical method for surface topography measurement of industrial and biomedical surfaces. The operation of CSI can be modelled using approximate physics-based approaches with minimal computation... Read More about Comparison of approximate methods for modelling coherence scanning interferometry.

High-accuracy robotic metrology for precise industrial manipulation tasks (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Isa, M. A., Khanesar, M. A., Leach, R. K., Branson, D., & Piano, S. (2023, June). High-accuracy robotic metrology for precise industrial manipulation tasks. Presented at Automated Visual Inspection and Machine Vision V, Munich, Germany

The majority of industrial production processes can be divided into a series of object manipulation and handling tasks that can be adapted for robots. Through significant advances in compliant grasping, sensing and actuation technologies, robots are... Read More about High-accuracy robotic metrology for precise industrial manipulation tasks.

Measurement of powder spreading dynamics in additive manufacturing (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Ferris, S., Thompson, A., Maskery, I., Hall, S., & Piano, S. (2023, June). Measurement of powder spreading dynamics in additive manufacturing. Presented at European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology, Conference Proceedings - 23rd International Conference and Exhibition, EUSPEN 2023, Copenhagen, Denmark

In this work, we examine the effect of the state of the pre-processing powder bed in powder-based additive manufacturing, particularly in metal laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). The spreading of the powder layer has been identified as a critical but... Read More about Measurement of powder spreading dynamics in additive manufacturing.

Comparison of coherence scanning interferometry, focus variation and confocal microscopy for surface topography measurement (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Hooshmand, H., Liu, M., Pappas, A., Thompson, A., Leach, R., & Piano, S. (2023, June). Comparison of coherence scanning interferometry, focus variation and confocal microscopy for surface topography measurement. Presented at Euspen’s 23rd International Conference & Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark

The most common optical technologies for surface topography measurement are coherence scanning interferometry (CSI), focus variation microscopy (FV) and imaging confocal microscopy (CM). Due to the benefits and drawbacks of each, these instruments ar... Read More about Comparison of coherence scanning interferometry, focus variation and confocal microscopy for surface topography measurement.

Precision Denavit–Hartenberg Parameter Calibration for Industrial Robots Using a Laser Tracker System and Intelligent Optimization Approaches (2023)
Journal Article
Khanesar, M. A., Yan, M., Isa, M., Piano, S., & Branson, D. T. (2023). Precision Denavit–Hartenberg Parameter Calibration for Industrial Robots Using a Laser Tracker System and Intelligent Optimization Approaches. Sensors, 23(12), Article 5368. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23125368

Precision object handling and manipulation require the accurate positioning of industrial robots. A common practice for performing end effector positioning is to read joint angles and use industrial robot forward kinematics (FKs). However, industrial... Read More about Precision Denavit–Hartenberg Parameter Calibration for Industrial Robots Using a Laser Tracker System and Intelligent Optimization Approaches.