Microscope -- Engadget

microscope posts

Thanko USB dental device will help prove you still need a dentist

by Laura June posted Aug 2nd 2009 at 7:05PM

Oh, the joys of self-diagnosis. Thanko's unleashed a USB dental "microscope" to let you check out the inside of your own mouth in great detail -- because you're so much more knowledgeable than a real dentist, right? This puppy's got six LEDs plus a small CMOS camera so you can shoot JPEGs / BMPs or 1,280×1024 resolution vids of your champers then check them out on your home computer. Of course, the sample shots (which are disgusting and after the break) inexplicably show a closeup of someone's scalp, demonstrating that this USB badboy has a variety of uses, all of them pretty gross. Is there something wrong with us if we just don't want to see our bodies in that much detail? It's only available on Thanko's Japanese site for the time being, and costs in the neighborhood of $80, but we have a feeling that it'll show up in the States anyday now... as soon as Oprah gets wind of it.

[Via Gizmodo]

Continue reading Thanko USB dental device will help prove you still need a dentist

CellScope, the cellphone microscope, gets UV upgrade to spot tiny glowing things

by Tim Stevens posted Jul 22nd 2009 at 9:22AM

CellScope, the cellphone microscope, gets UV upgrade to spot tiny, tiny things

It was over a year ago that UC Berkeley introduced the world to CellScope, the 60x microscope for cellphones made from cheap, off the shelf components (like a re-purposed belt clip). Now, even though we're disappointingly still not seeing this thing in stores, there's an upgraded version able to take pictures of even smaller nasties. Using a filter the scope can now spot microscopic critters tagged with dye that glows under fluorescent light -- things like Mycobacterium tuberculosis (that's the cause of TB if you, like us, lack a med degree). A software app is able to then count the number of cells within a given sample and tell you whether to worry about that annoying cough. There's still no word on whether this product will ever actually start scoping out such things in the wild, but we certainly hope it will -- if only so that we can keep our vast collection of cellphone accessories complete. Video after the break.

[Via Crave]

Continue reading CellScope, the cellphone microscope, gets UV upgrade to spot tiny glowing things

World's smallest periscope provides multi-dimensional view of cells

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2009 at 9:26AM

We never thought we'd say this, but the standard microscope's day may be coming to an end. Okay, so maybe that's a stretch, but a new device conjured up by scientists at Vanderbilt University sure could stand in as a suitable and deserving replacement. In what's being described as the world's smallest version of the periscope, the so-called mirrored pyramidal wells are being used to allow researchers to see several sides of cells simultaneously. The pyramidal-shaped cavities are molded into silicon "whose interior surfaces are coated with a reflective layer of gold or platinum," and when a cell is placed inside, it gives Earthlings a magical multi-dimensional view. It's said that this technology is actually stupendously inexpensive compared to other methods of 3D microscopy, and according to Vandy's own Ron Reiserer, this "could easily become as ubiquitous as the microscope slide." Them's fightin' words, no?

[Via Physorg]

Nikon unveils Fabre Photo EX DSLR-based stereoscopic microscope

by Nilay Patel posted Feb 4th 2009 at 2:32PM

Sure, we've seen homebrew digital microscopes built out of old webcams and proper digital 'scopes with USB interfaces, but if you're really serious about your closeups, Nikon's new Fabre Photo EX system is probably calling your name. The stereoscopic microscope can be fitted to a Nikon DSLR back to capture images, with max magnification based on sensor size and crop factor -- FX backs will yield 20x zoom, while a DX back will let you keep tabs on your favorite c. elegans at 45x. Various attachments can boost that up to 66x, and there's even an adapter that'll let you mount various Coolpix compacts to the system -- although we doubt that'll look nearly as imposing on your lab bench. Mad scientists can order as of February 20th, provided they're in Japan and have an extra ¥108,150 ($1214) for the microscope and ¥37,800 ($424) for the DSLR mount handy. On more pic after the break.

[Via Slashgear]

Continue reading Nikon unveils Fabre Photo EX DSLR-based stereoscopic microscope

Brando's USB Digital Microscope is perfect for at-home cell studies

by Darren Murph posted Jan 10th 2009 at 2:23AM

If you're too strapped for cash to afford a real-deal microscope, and your expired college ID won't get you into the lab any longer, why not pull the trigger on Brando's USB Digital Microscope? Described as "amazingly easy to use," this here 'scope can be utilized for "various applications such as science and engineering work and study, dermatology (skin / scalp) exams, detailed repair and assembly." Or, you can just use it as "a reading aid." Which is a fantastic idea if you actually don't want to read anything at all. Anywho, sure sounds like bundles of fun for just $75.

Microscopic microscope could fit on cellphones, cost just $10

by Darren Murph posted Jul 30th 2008 at 3:25AM

Make no mistake, microscopes have been getting increasingly smaller for years, but a team of CalTech researchers have leapfrogged previous efforts by creating one minuscule enough to fit on a cellphone. The microscopic optofluidic microscope could one day be used in third-world nations to "analyze blood samples for malaria or check water supplies for giardia and other pathogens," and given that it could theoretically be mass produced for around $10, cost shouldn't be too much of a hindrance. Changhuei Yang, credited for developing the chip, is currently chatting it up with biotech companies in order to get this to the market, but there's no word yet on any takers.

[Via Physorg]

JAKKS Pacific announces EyeClops BioniCam portable microscope

by Donald Melanson posted Jan 18th 2008 at 2:37PM

If microscopes like those from Celestron are a bit more than you need, you may want to keep an eye out for JAKKS Pacific's upcoming EyeClops BioniCam, which is obviously aimed at kids but, as we've seen in the past, will no doubt appeal to more adventuresome users out there as well. A follow-up to the company's EyeClops Bionic Eye, this one ups the features considerably with the addition of an LCD screen, which you can use to peek at things at magnification levels of 100x, 200x or 400x. Also like that considerably higher-end Celestron, this one packs a built-in digital camera (no word on the resolution) and an included USB thumb drive to make transfers to a computer as easy as can be. No word on a price just yet, unfortunately, though you can look for it to hit stores sometime this fall.

[Via SlashGear]

Celestron to debut new LCD digital microscope at CES

by Donald Melanson posted Jan 2nd 2008 at 11:48AM

It looks like those in need of something a little more serious than a DIY microscope will soon have a new option to consider from Celestron, which is set to debut its new LCD digital microscope at CES. Up front and center on this one, as you can see, is a relatively large 3.5-inch LCD, which gets paired with a 2 megapixel digital camera and, of course, a microscope that'll let you take a peek at things at magnification levels up to 40x. You'll also get 128MB of internal memory to store those extreme close-ups for posterity and, thankfully, an SD card slot for further expansion. No word on a price just yet, but you'll apparently be able to get your hands on one sometime in February.

[Via I4U News]

Build a digital microscope from a webcam

by Nilay Patel posted Dec 17th 2007 at 1:27PM

Sure, it won't get you live 3D representations of living cells, but this little USB microscope mashup over at Instructables should nab you some sweet pics of up-close detail with a minimum of effort. You can pull it off with basically any simple webcam -- the one pictured here cost $5 -- and toy microscope, but you'll have to a little creative wiresplicing to get the white LED light source powered off USB as well. Still, it's a neat project if you've got the time -- now get to work!

Olympus creates 'world's smallest questionnaire' on specimen slide

by Darren Murph posted Sep 25th 2007 at 7:03AM

We've seen ways in which quite a few marketers earned their bonus, but the bright lad (or dame) who dreamed this one up deserves a serious promotion. In what's likely to be confirmed as the "world's smallest questionnaire," Olympus sent out slides with questions to valued high-end microscope customers in order to boost awareness and hopefully drum up more business. The survey was shipped just like any other specimen slide, and it reportedly drove up traffic to the firm's website by around 24-percent. Click on for a closeup of the actual questions.

[Via OhGizmo]

Continue reading Olympus creates 'world's smallest questionnaire' on specimen slide

New microscope allows live 3D imaging of cells

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 14th 2007 at 4:12AM

Top level researchers and high-school science students alike have long been restricted by the tradeoffs of traditional microscopy: either you can look at live cells at low resolutions, or you can stabilize your sample and see some more detail. A new technique developed at MIT aims to change that, though, enabling scientists to look at live cells at high resolution -- in 3D. The microscope, which was developed by professor Micheal Feld and his team, generates images by analyzing how different parts of the cell refract light, and combines those images from different angles to create 3D models in real time. The unit has already been used at Harvard Medical School, and based on our struggles to see anything under the 'scope in college, we foresee quite a few students and professors clamoring for these at universities everywhere soon.

Autonomous robotic fleas could create distributed sensor network

by Darren Murph posted Apr 5th 2007 at 2:49AM

We've seen a fair bit of mesh networking approaches lately, and thanks to a unusual project going on at the University of California, Berkeley, the next great ad hoc network could be started by a horde of bugs. Sarah Bergbreiter has developed an "autonomous robotic flea has been developed that is capable of jumping nearly 30 times its height," thanks to what could possibly be hailed as the "world's smallest rubber band." Interestingly, the creator hopes that the minuscule bugs could eventually be used to "create networks of distributed sensors for detecting chemicals or for military-surveillance purposes." The Smart Dust initiative could eventually be expanded to grow wings, but for now the solar-powered bugger will stick to hoppin' via a "microcontroller to govern its behavior and a series of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) motors on a silicon substrate."

[Via BoingBoing]

Atomic force microscope takes a closer look at individual atoms

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2007 at 5:02AM

Hot on the heels of Purdue's Mini 10 chemical analyzer comes a (somewhat) similar creature from the other side of the globe, as Osaka University's Yoshiaki Sugimoto and colleagues have "found a way to use the atomic force microscope to produce images that reveal the chemical identity of individual atoms on a surface." Essentially, this new discovery allows scientists to look at a mixed material and "pick out individual atoms of different elements on its surface, such as tin or silicon." The microscopes themselves are quite common in this realm, but until now, they have not been capable of distinguishing between atoms of different chemical elements. The atomic fingerprint, as it's so aptly named, is what the crew scrutinized in order to distinguish between varying atoms on a sample surface, as they witnessed that the relationship between force and distance is "slightly different for atoms of different elements." Of course, we have to look for the practical use in all this hubbub, and a non-participating scientist from the UK has insinuated that the discovery could be useful for nanotechnology researchers trying to design devices at the molecular level -- and who wouldn't be down a little nanotech garb or a snazzy new water-repelling umbrella?

Webcam + CD-ROM lens = instant microscope

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 19th 2006 at 9:53AM

Sure, you could just buy one of the many, more capable, ready-made, USB microscopes, but if you're lacking for geek cred, you can also build your own with nothing more than a webcam and a lens salvaged from a CD or DVD drive. This hack courtesy of Kalanda is about as simple as can be, just carefully remove the tiny lens from your optical drive and affix it in place on the webcam with some cardboard and tape (they apparently didn't remove the webcam's lens). The lens is able to double as a microscope because of its very short focal length, which proved to be just right for getting disturbingly close shots of the intrepid DIY-er's hand. We're building one right now, too, because we've been having a hell of time keeping track of our micro-dice during those regular after-work craps games.

[Via Make]

X-Loupe gives your Canon IXUS microscopic powers

by Paul Miller posted Aug 7th 2006 at 9:59AM

Just like in 5th grade, some things are still pretty dang interesting when looked at up close. X-Loupe can help you in your quest of dang interesting stuff, by snapping onto a Canon IXUS camera (Digital ELPH in the States) and providing microscope-style 150x 5 megapixel photography. The unit has its own battery and LED lens ring, which should provide around 4 hours of magnification fun, and doesn't impede any of the usual IXUS features like preview, video recording or TV connectivity. X-Loupe can be obtained from the company of the same name for around $1450, and comes with a trio of lenses (60x, 100x and 150x) along with a Canon IXUS 65 camera to round out the package.

[Via gizmag]