Multitouch Microscope Brings Innovations into Teaching and Research

Finnish investigators have created a hand and finger gesture-controlled microscope. The method is a combination of two technologies: web-based virtual microscopy and a giant-size multitouch display.

The result is a completely new way of performing microscopy: by touching a table- or even a wall-sized screen, the user can navigate and zoom within a microscope sample in the same way as in a traditional microscope. Using the touch control it is possible to move from the natural size of the sample to a 1000-fold magnification, at which cells and even subcellular details can be visualized.

The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM; Helsinki, Finland) has collaborated with Multitouch Ltd. (Helsinki, Finland) on the project. "The giant size, minimum 46-inch screen looks somewhat like an iPad on steroids,” said researcher Dr. Johan Lundin, one of the creators of the technology.

Biologic samples are digitized using a microscopy scanner and stored on an image server. Samples displayed on the screen are then continuously read from the server over the internet and the size of a single sample can be up to 200 gigabytes.

The developers believe that the method will revolutionize microscopy teaching: a group of students can stand around the display together with the teacher and examine the same sample. The multitouch microscope can recognize the hands of multiple users at the same time. "The multitouch microscope brings a new dimension into interactive teaching and the learning curve is practically zero as compared to conventional microscopy which can be quite challenging for students,” Dr. Lundin said.

Web-based virtual microscopy--the WebMicroscope--was developed a few years ago by researchers at the Universities of Helsinki and Tampere and has been well received among students. The multitouch microscope builds upon this technology and makes it even more useful for teaching.

"At scientific meetings this technology is excellent in a situation where a group of users need to simultaneously view a microscopy sample, for example when a consensus needs to be reached concerning a new disease entity or a rare case,” Dr. Lundin explained.

Related Links:
Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland
Multitouch