Fanglin Linda Liu
Nice to meet you 😃
I am Linda, a 📸camera engineer working on sensing systems for ✈️flying robots and 🤖humanoid robots. I've developed camera modules, lenses, depth sensors, illumination LEDs and thermal sensors that enable the entire robotic sensing systems to perceive and interact with the world around them. Before joining the industry, I earned my 👩🎓PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from UC Berkeley, where I was advised by Prof. Laura Waller. My PhD research focused on 🔬computational optics—a multidisciplinary field combining optical hardware, physical modeling, optimization algorithms, and machine learning.
Coming soon
Physics-based learning: Algorithms and optics co-design
We use a differentiable forward model of single-shot 3D microscopy, coupled with an invertible and differentiable reconstruction algorithm, to jointly optimize both the diffuser surface shape and the reconstruction parameters for Fourier DiffuserScope.
Fourier DiffuserScope: Single-shot 3D Microscopy with a diffuser
We demonstrate improved resolution over a large volume with Fourier DiffuserScope, which uses a diffuser in the pupil plane to encode 3D information, then computationally reconstructs the volume by solving a sparsity-constrained inverse problem. Our diffuser consists of randomly placed microlenses with varying focal lengths; the random positions provide a larger field-of-view compared to a conventional microlens array, and the diverse focal lengths improve the axial depth range.
On chip fluorescence microscopy with a random microlens diffuser
We present an on-chip, widefield 3D fluorescence microscope, which consists of a diffuser placed a few millimeters away from a traditional image sensor. The diffuser replaces the optics of a microscope, resulting in a compact and easy-to-assemble system with a practical working distance of over 1.5 mm.
Skydio
Project: X10 Camera
Skydio X10 is a cutting-edge drone featuring the most advanced cameras, including a 64MP narrow, 50MP wide, 48MP telephoto, 640 thermal cameras. The drone also incorporates visible and IR navigation cameras for seamless operation both day and night. Powered by the most advanced AI, X10 enables autonomous flight and obstable avoidance. X10 was unveiled at the company's 2023 keynote, where my contributions to the camera systems were showcased during the "Sensor Package" session for user cameras and "Night Sense" session for navigation cameras.
Google X, the moonshot factory
Project: Everyday Robots
Everyday Robots is a moonshot project aimed at building a helper humanoid robot with a general-purpose AI brain. Rather than being designed for a specific task, it is intended to be able to learn new skills in everyday environments. The sensing platform includes stereo cameras, structured illumination, ToF sensors, and Lidar. However, in early 2023, the hardware development was discontinued, and the technology was consolidated into DeepMind's robotics team.
Microsoft Research
[Research Talk] [Lab Tour]Project Silica addresses the urgent need for sustainable, long-term data storage by writing information into quartz glass. Using an ultrafast femtosecond laser to write and a polarization microscope to read, Project Silica offers a durable alternative to traditional magnetic media like hard disk drives and tapes, which degrade within decades. In contrast, quartz glass provides a cost-effective, sustainable solution that lasts for millennia.
Chinese Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars Association at UC Berkeley (CGPSA)
[2019 Chinese New Year] [2018 New Student Reception][2018 Fall Hiking] [2019 Spring Hiking]
EECS16A: Designing Informative Devices and Systems