Non-contact, autogenous material assessment

A non-contact material assessment system comprising:

• a radiation source configured to apply electromagnetic radiation to a sample including a pattern of autogenous diffractive elements, thereby generating a pattern of diffracted elements;
• at least one detector configured to:
• capture a first image of a first diffracted element when the sample is in an initial state, and a second image of the first diffracted element when the sample is subjected to an external stimulus in a second state;
• and
• capture a first image of a second diffracted element when the sample is in the initial state, and a second image of the second diffracted element when the sample is subjected to the external stimulus in the second state;
• and
• a controller comprising at least one computer processor, one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable to:
• determine a displacement of the first diffracted element based on the first and second images of the first diffracted element;
• determine a displacement of the second diffracted element based on the first and second images of the second diffracted element;
• and
• determine a characteristic of the sample over an assessment period based on the displacement of the first diffracted element and the displacement of the second diffracted element.