Tailoring object-specific light fields for the inspection of transparent materials

The visual inspection of non-diffusive objects such as transparent or specular objects remains a challenging task due to complex object geometries and light–matter interactions. In this work, we demonstrate an inverse light-field illumination approach for the single-shot, robust inspection of transparent objects, in which a tailored light field is derived from a single sample, compensated for variations in size, shape, position, and optical properties, and then projected onto the test object. We evaluate quantitatively how this enables reliable defect detection with maximized contrast using only a single acquired image.