What is the RFLSI-ZW Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging System?

The RFLSI-ZW (also marketed as LSCI-ZW) is RWD Life Science's flagship blood perfusion imager based on Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) technology. It enables researchers to non-invasively visualize and quantify blood perfusion across any exposed tissue or organ — from cerebral cortex to skin to hindlimb — in real time, without contrast agents or contact with the sample.

Built on an advanced optical design with an improved image processing algorithm, the RFLSI-ZW delivers larger imaging field, higher full-field frame rates, finer optical resolution, and sharper image quality than its predecessors. Since 2019, the system has been adopted by more than 200 research institutions worldwide — including Stanford University School of Medicine, Yale University, Duke University, University College London, and Korea University — and has contributed to more than 200 publications in journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, Brain, Blood, Circulation Research, and Diabetes.

Key Features

• High-Resolution HD Imaging: Built-in CMOS global shutter camera captures 2064 × 1544 high-resolution images with optimal optical resolution of 3.9 μm/pixel, revealing fine vascular structures and vessel endings.
• Large Field of View with 10× Optical Zoom: Motorised 10× optical zoom and autofocus deliver image sizes from 0.57 × 0.75 cm up to 22.5 × 30 cm in a single all-in-one imager, covering applications from microvasculature to full-body perfusion.
• Full-Field Frame Rate up to 100 fps: High-speed acquisition captures rapid hemodynamic changes such as MCAO occlusion, cortical spreading depression, and reactive hyperemia.
• Non-Contact, No Contrast Agent Required: LSCI requires no dye, tracer, or physical contact, eliminating perturbation of the tissue under study and enabling chronic, repeated measurements.
• Class 1 Laser Safety: Both measurement and indicating lasers are Class 1 per IEC 60825-1:2014 — safe to operate without eye protection equipment.
• Stable Laser Output for Reliable Data: Laser stabilization hardware ensures consistent measurement over minutes, hours, or days, with self-calibration available at any time via the supplied calibration box.
• Quantified Multi-Output: Generates perfusion images and videos plus quantitative data for perfusion units, vessel diameter, vessel angle, and ROI-based blood flow graphs, with offline state analysis available.
• Flexible Integration: Trigger In/Out BNC connections allow synchronization with external stimulators, electrophysiology rigs, or behavioral systems. Software can be installed on unlimited analysis PCs.