View of Field

3D Gaussian Splatting and Future Digital Twins

Written by Ethan | Nov 14, 2025 3:45:00 PM

This week, we shared a five-day series of 3D Gaussian splats created in collaboration with OpsiClear, who have been developing an advanced 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) pipeline to transform clinical specimens and physical phantoms into detailed, true-to-life digital twins.

At QUEL Imaging, this work aligns closely with our mission: to advance quantitative fluorescence imaging by creating phantoms and simulation tools that tightly couple physical measurements with computational modeling. Well-characterized 3D models — when paired with Monte Carlo simulations — become the backbone of powerful digital twins that can accelerate system design, performance testing, and translational research.

Below is a recap of the modeling technology, along with insights into how 3DGS fits into our broader vision for hybrid physical–digital phantoms.

Why 3D Gaussian Splatting Matters for Phantom Development

3D Gaussian Splatting offers a fast, flexible way to create dense, photorealistic 3D reconstructions from real objects. For optical phantom development, this presents several key advantages:

  • Capturing geometry with high fidelity: Phantoms often encode anatomical or structural details that matter for optical behavior. 3DGS preserves these fine features
  • Providing realistic visualization and interactive exploration: Researchers and system designers can view phantoms from any angle, examine structural complexity, and understand light paths intuitively.
  • Supporting digital twin workflows: When combined with QUEL Imaging’s Monte Carlo fluorescence simulations, 3DGS-derived meshes become the foundation for predictive modeling — merging the physical and virtual domains.
  • Accelerating system development: Digital-first prototyping (via splats + simulations) helps teams evaluate imaging performance before building physical prototypes, improving both speed and iteration quality.

    This week’s splats highlighted these concepts across a range of phantom geometries, from simple performance targets to complex organ models.
Interactive Depth Target 3DGS Interactive Mouse Phantom 3DGS

🔬 Spotlight: QUEL’s FluoFlow® Product Line

Our FluoFlow® platform is designed to introduce dynamic fluorescence behavior into tissue-mimicking phantoms. Instead of static fluorophores or embedded targets alone, FluoFlow® allows researchers to:

  • simulate blood flow, perfusion, and in-flow/out-flow kinetics
  • evaluate dynamic imaging performance, including temporal sensitivity and motion-related artifacts
  • test quantitative fluorescence imaging algorithms under controlled, reproducible flow conditions
  • integrate dynamic experiments with Monte Carlo simulations for hybrid digital-physical studies

The Colon FluoFlow® Phantom featured on Friday is a perfect example: a colon-mimicking optical structure paired with controlled flow channels to evaluate fluorescence signal dynamics in real time.

Paired with 3D Gaussian Splatting, FluoFlow® systems can be reconstructed as 3D digital twins, enabling simulation-driven design iteration, dynamic modeling, and advanced visualization — all from the same physical phantom.

 
Interactive 3DGS of the Prototype FluoFlow® Colon Phantom Design concept and demonstration of the Prototype FluoFlow® Colon Phantom

Closing Thoughts

This week’s collaboration with OpsiClear gave us a glimpse of what’s possible when physical phantoms and advanced 3D representations converge. Whether for visualization, simulation, or developing digital twins, 3D Gaussian splats offer a powerful complement to our optical phantom technologies.

We’re excited to continue exploring the intersection of well-characterized physical models, 3D reconstruction, and computational simulation — and to keep sharing what we discover along the way. Please let us know how we can help accelerate your clinical translation by reaching out!
View full post