Our AR microscopy paper is on the cover of Optics Continuum

Maha Sahloul’s paper, All-optical selective target highlighting for augmented reality microscopy, written with Kaan Akşit of University College London, was selected for the cover of Optics Continuum, Volume 5, Issue 8 (15 August 2026).

What the paper does

Augmented-reality microscopes usually highlight objects of interest with a camera, a computer and a display, which adds delay. Maha’s approach moves that processing into the optics. A phase-only spatial light modulator sits in a Fourier plane of the microscope and displays phase maps that were optimised offline with a physics-based model of the instrument. Once loaded, the maps highlight targets selected by size or shape directly in the live view, with no per-frame computation or tracking.

The highlighting follows targets as they move across the field of view and tolerates some rotation and partial occlusion. The current system is a dark-field proof of concept, and it points to a broader idea: doing part of a microscope’s image processing inside its optical path.

See it in action

The project page has the full method, the results for each scenario and a video of the system running.

The work was supported by TÜBİTAK through the TÜBİTAK–NARD bilateral project 123N774.