Figure 5. Error, quantified as the deviation of traction magnitude (DTM), and signal to noise ratio (SNR) comparing two different bead distributions: Volumetric beads (3D, α = 3) and surface beads (α = 2).

For all focal adhesion (FA) diameters, but especially for smaller ones, using beads on the surface yields a better force reconstruction. All displacements were calculated using KLT with a window size of 8 pixels.