Caltech engineers show how to make cost-effective, ultra-high-performance microscopes
Engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have devised a method to convert a relatively inexpensive conventional microscope into a billion-pixel imaging system that significantly outperforms the best available standard microscope. Such a system could greatly improve the efficiency of digital pathology, in which specialists need to review large numbers of tissue samples. By making it possible to produce robust microscopes at low cost, the approach also has the potential to bring high-performance microscopy capabilities to medical clinics in developing countries.
“In my view, what we’ve come up with is very exciting because it changes the way we tackle high-performance microscopy,” says Changhuei Yang, professor of electrical engineering, bioengineering and medical engineering at Caltech.
Yang is senior author on a paper that describes the new imaging strategy, which appears in the July 28 early online version of the journal Nature Photonics.
Until now, the physical limitations of microscope objectives—their optical lenses— have posed a challenge in terms of improving conventional microscopes. Microscope makers tackle these limitations by using ever more complicated stacks of lens elements in microscope objectives to mitigate optical aberrations. Even with these efforts, these physical limitations have forced researchers to decide between high resolution and a small field of view on the one hand, or low resolution and a large field of view on the other. That has meant that scientists have either been able to see a lot of detail very clearly but only in a small area, or they have gotten a coarser view of a much larger area.
“We found a way to actually have the best of both worlds,” says Guoan Zheng, lead author on the new paper and the initiator of this new microscopy approach from Yang’s lab. “We used a computational approach to bypass the limitations of the optics. The optical performance of the objective lens is rendered almost irrelevant, as we can improve the resolution and correct for aberrations computationally.”
Indeed, using the new approach, the researchers were able to improve the resolution of a conventional 2X objective lens to the level of a 20X objective lens. Therefore, the new system combines the field-of-view advantage of a 2X lens with the resolution advantage of a 20X lens. The final images produced by the new system contain 100 times more information than those produced by conventional microscope platforms. And building upon a conventional microscope, the new system costs only about $200 to implement.
“One big advantage of this new approach is the hardware compatibility,” Zheng says, “You only need to add an LED array to an existing microscope. No other hardware modification is needed. The rest of the job is done by the computer.”
The Latest Bing News on:
High-performance microscopy
- It Looks Like Huntsman Corporation's (NYSE:HUN) CEO May Expect Their Salary To Be Put Under The Microscopeon April 27, 2024 at 5:39 am
According to our data, Huntsman Corporation has a market capitalization of US$4.2b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$15m over the year to December 2023. That's a notable increase of ...
- Scientists simulate magnetization reversal of Nd-Fe-B magnets using large-scale finite element modelson April 26, 2024 at 7:15 am
NIMS has succeeded in simulating the magnetization reversal of Nd-Fe-B magnets using large-scale finite element models constructed based on tomographic data obtained by electron microscopy.
- ‘Self-driving labs.’ Scientists at PNNL explore how AI can help transform researchon April 26, 2024 at 5:00 am
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are exploring the frontiers of artificial intelligence, or AI, to quickly find solutions that can transform these fields ...
- AI-Powered Microscope Revolutionizes Material Analysison April 25, 2024 at 8:48 am
Scientists in Manchester are building a revolutionary microscope called AutomaTEM. This microscope uses AI and automation to analyze materials much faster than current technology, which will ...
- Innovative Microscopy Demystifies Metabolism of Alzheimer’son April 24, 2024 at 10:22 am
State-of-the-art imaging techniques uncover metabolism driving Alzheimer’s disease, potential new treatment strategies ...
- Scientists pioneer new X-ray microscopy method for data analysis 'on the fly'on April 24, 2024 at 9:54 am
A new streaming technique allows playback of data while it is being generated. When scientists want to look at a tiny structure in a material, even one just a few atoms in size, they frequently turn ...
- Scientists reveal working mechanism of multilayer MoS₂ photodetector with broad spectral range and multiband responseon April 24, 2024 at 9:27 am
As a typical two-dimensional material, MoS2 exhibits unique optical and electrical properties due to its atomic thickness in the vertical dimension, making it a research hotspot in the field of ...
- Extracting high-purity gold from electrical and electronic wasteon April 23, 2024 at 7:28 am
Korea relies on imports for most of its metal resources, and in recent years, due to resource depletion and rising raw material prices, 'circular resources' that recycle waste metal resources have ...
- SkyWater Technology Is Lowering Barriers To Advanced Chip Packagingon April 23, 2024 at 3:00 am
SkyWater has partnered with Deca Technologies to develop a multi chip packaging capability that will lower the entry barriers to advanced packaging.
- AI tool creates 'synthetic' images of cells for enhanced microscopy analysison April 22, 2024 at 1:48 pm
Observing individual cells through microscopes can reveal a range of important cell biological phenomena that frequently play a role in human diseases, but the process of distinguishing single cells ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
High-performance microscopy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”High-performance microscopy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Ultra-high-performance microscopes
- Ultra-high Performance (UHP) Tire Market is projected to reach US$ 39 billion by 2033on April 21, 2024 at 9:58 pm
According to Future Market Insights, the global ultra-high performance (UHP) tire market is anticipated to attain a valuation of US$ 13.6 billion in 2023. From 2023 to 2033, sales of ultra-high ...
- Lithography Metrology Equipment Market Quest for the Ideal Market Audience Odyssey and Targeting Strategieson April 21, 2024 at 8:01 pm
The rise in demand for increasing wafer sizes into ultra-large-scale integration fabrication technology fosters the growth of the lithography metrology equipment market globally. Lithography metrology ...
- What Is Macro Photography?on April 19, 2024 at 4:00 am
Macro photography involves extreme close-up photography of small subjects for detailed shots. DSLRs and mirrorless cameras need macro lenses, while smartphones offer macro camera modes or clip-on ...
- The Ginette McDonald Collectionon April 18, 2024 at 6:43 am
Wellington City Council: Wellington Is All Action Stations For The Faultline Ultra Festival The mega Faultline Ultra Festival is coming to the capital this weekend – with participants experiencing the ...
- Hybrid camera system gives your smartphone "super-telephoto" zoomon April 18, 2024 at 5:43 am
Tech company Beaverlab has launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for a smart super-telephoto camera called the Excope DT1 that can be had with a 400-mm zoom lens, and works with a smartphone to ...
- Phone Comparisons: Google Pixel 8 Pro vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultraon April 15, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Here's our Google Pixel 8 Pro vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra comparison. The very best of Google and ASUS are under the microscope.
- Samsung CHIPS Act Grant Brings Its Leading Edge Plus R&D To Texason April 15, 2024 at 2:00 am
Samsung's CHIPS grant includes their commitment to bring their leading edge technology to the U.S., as well as advanced packaging, R&D, and an R&D fab.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Ultra-high-performance microscopes
[google_news title=”” keyword=”ultra-high-performance microscopes” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]