Efficient, Accessible, and Robust Imaging: Innovations in Materials, Devices, and System Integration

The field of imaging technology is undergoing a rapid evolution, driven both by the needs of advanced scientific research and the imperative to make imaging accessible and affordable for real-world applications. Traditional imaging systems often rely on expensive components, complex optics, or resource-intensive processing, creating barriers to deployment in low-resource, portable, point-of-care, or field environments. Recent progress in materials science and optoelectronics holds great promise for revolutionizing how we design, fabricate, and deploy cost-effective imaging platforms. From photonic materials and functional polymers to miniaturized sensor architectures and heterogeneously integrated devices, new engineering frontiers are emerging that can deliver high-performance imaging at a fraction of the conventional cost. Yet, there remains a significant gap in translating these innovations into robust, scalable, and practical imaging solutions, particularly those suited for edge and resource-limited settings.

This Research Topic aims to serve as a multidisciplinary bridge bringing together advances in materials engineering, device physics, and system integration with the challenges of affordable imaging. We seek to address questions such as: What are the latest material innovations that deliver superior imaging sensitivity, selectivity, or robustness with reduced manufacturing costs? How can miniaturized, integrated optoelectronic devices be optimized for portability and deployment at the point of need? What opportunities exist for coupling advanced materials with emerging artificial intelligence or signal processing pipelines to deliver robust performance in realistic environments? By fostering dialogue between materials/device researchers and imaging systems developers, this collection aspires to catalyze impactful solutions that broaden the accessibility and societal utility of modern imaging.

The scope of this Research Topic encompasses both foundational advances and application-driven innovation. Manuscripts should clearly address how materials and device-level developments contribute to the performance, affordability, or deployment potential of imaging platforms. We encourage submissions including (but not limited to):

Emerging materials for low-cost, high-performance imaging sensors
Design and fabrication of miniaturized or integrated optoelectronic devices for imaging
Functional materials for photonic and electronic sensor integration
System-level advances: coupling of novel sensors/devices with AI or on-device processing for robust, field-deployable imaging
Approaches for resource-efficient imaging in biomedical, environmental, point-of-care, or industrial scenarios

Case studies demonstrating end-to-end development and evaluation of affordable imaging platforms
Reviews on the state-of-the-art in materials-enabled, low-cost imaging architectures
Prototypes and proof-of-concept studies for portable, edge, or field diagnostics
We welcome original research articles, reviews, methods papers, application case studies, and technology demonstrations.

By bringing together complementary expertise from the materials, device, and imaging systems communities, this Research Topic will help accelerate the creation and adoption of innovative, low-cost imaging solutions with tangible societal and technological impact.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Low-cost imaging, materials-enabled imaging sensors, miniaturized optoelectronic devices, heterogeneous system integration, edge AI imaging, portable point-of-care diagnostics, field-deployable robust imaging

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.