ioLight, creator of the world’s first high-resolution portable microscope, has used its expertise to launch a new compact inverted microscope.
With the pocket-size foldable microscope already a great success, ioLight has combined innovative design features to create the inverted digital microscope which aims to bring a new dimension to cell culture observation in the lab.
“Over the past five years, ioLight has built its reputation on the innovation of the portable field microscope which digitally captures high-resolution images anywhere from the Amazon Rainforest to the heights of Mount Everest. We wanted to further our offering and design an inverted microscope for use in a laboratory. It was the next logical step in the evolution of our product line,” explains Andrew Monk, founder of ioLight.
“Using the knowledge and skills gained from creating our pioneering portable microscope, we have developed a very compact, light-weight and robust inverted microscope which is even tough enough for use inside an incubator. The ioLight inverted microscope is just 170mm in size and sealed to protect the inner workings. This means it is perfectly suited to observing cell culture in a lab incubator without having to open the door,” says Monk.
Cell development is monitored by an inverted microscope, with the lens underneath the petri dish looking upwards into the sample with illuminators both above and below the sample. Because the inverted microscope accommodates a petri dish, observation of cells and organisms can be achieved using standard laboratory procedures rather than having to prepare a slide sample.
Through a simple Wi-Fi connection, the inverted microscope enables images to be stored on a tablet, mobile phone or laptop and shared instantly with collaborators anywhere.
The ioLight inverted microscope uses both bright field and dark field illumination. Bright field mode illuminates high contrast samples from above, displaying them against a bright background. Dark field mode illuminates lower contrast or even transparent samples with scattered light, highlighting them against a dark background. This allows a wide range of samples to be imaged.
“The ioLight inverted microscope is a cost-effective and compact laboratory tool that is really simple to use. We have just shipped our first batch of inverted microscopes to universities in the UK and US who are using it to research and examine algae and other subjects. Customers really like the ability to view images on a mobile phone and because it is wireless users can leave the microscope inside an incubator so they do not have to disrupt the experimental conditions.
“We are looking forward to introducing the ioLight inverted microscope to new and existing customers in the coming months. This is a really exciting time for ioLight and we are pleased to be able to present a wider portfolio of highly advanced microscopes,” concludeds Monk.
