Traditionally, independent research and development in areas of X-ray imaging requiring access to a live image data stream was difficult, as the real-time images are not easily available outside of the X-ray machine "black-boxes".

 To overcome this, researchers often resort to using frame-grabbers, capturing final images from the X-ray system monitor, which is a solution suffering obvious drawbacks and limitations. Probably the most severe is that "frame-grabbed" images are generally not suitable for any work on image enhancement. Those images are already window-leveled and heavily processed and, as it is impossible to “un-cook” the overdone food, most of the processing done to the image before it is displayed cannot be reversed.

The second problem faced by the independent researcher is the lack of a simple, open-access hardware and software platform, capable of acquiring and processing images at the real-time rates. This means hardware that can interface with the X-ray system in a way that is approved by the system vendor and guarantees not to interfere with its operation. This also means a hardware-software platform that provides ample computational power, which can be transparently scaled according to needs, allowing the developer to concentrate on algorithms without being distracted by the need to handle technical details of the system and its interfaces with the X-ray lab.

Open-access systems, built from readily avaliable off-the-shelf components, should stimulate collaborative development by establishing a compatible platform with common interfaces. At the same time it should assure compliance and safety of validated, vendor-approved electical interface modules which will isolate research applications from the X-ray machine and protect the X-ray system vendors from disclosing those details of their image-processing chain that they wish to keep secret.

The OpenXi organization works with X-ray equipment vendors and detector and C-arm system manufacturers, to develop the necessary interfaces to gain access to their image stream with absolute minimum intrusion to their systems. This collaboration is based on mutual interest to accelerate progress in real-time X-ray imaging and development of related applications.