Multitouch Microscope to Offer Enhanced View of Nano-Particles

An Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) research team has partnered with the Finland-based Multitouch to develop a microscope that can be monitored by moving the hand or fingers. It integrates a web-based virtual microscopy with a huge multitouch display.

The user needs to touch a table or even a wall-sized monitor to study and magnify a microscope sample. The user will be able to magnify the image a 1000-fold, offering a clear picture of nano-particles and sub-cellular details. The 46inch screen resembles an iPad on steroids. A scanner digitizes biological samples and saves them on an image server. These are constantly transmitted from the server to the network. A sample can be magnified up to 200gb.

This development, say the researchers, will enhance teaching because students and teacher will be able to view the sample at the same time. The multitouch microscope can identify hands and gestures of multiple users.