Underwater computational imaging: a survey

Abstract

AbstractWith the increasingly urgent demand for marine research and development, optical imaging technology remains crucial for underwater close-range information detection. However, the inherent obstacles of light transmission in strongly attenuating environments constitute a bottleneck that restricts the development of traditional optical imaging technology. Underwater computational imaging has emerged gradually, leveraging its cross-disciplinary advantages. It deeply couples optical system design with signal calculation and processing and has a high utilization rate of focusing information. It can achieve qualitative breakthroughs in imaging resolution, scale, dimension, and hardware convenience. However, existing work is mostly limited to the extension of free-space computational imaging techniques to underwater environments, lacking systematic research on common needs and key technologies. Therefore, it is essential to refine the connotation and advantages of underwater computational imaging technology, especially in combination with highly complex and nonlinear application scenarios, and to identify potential development space and breakthroughs.