VTT transforms phone into microscope
VTT The device is expected to go on sale in MarchVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed an optical accessory that turns an ordinary camera phone into a high-resolution microscope. The device is accurate to one hundredth of a millimetre.
KeepLoop, a new Finnish company based in Tampere, and VTT are already exploring the commercial potential of the invention. The first models are expected to be released in March.
An ordinary mobile phone turns into an instant microscope by attaching a thin, magnetic microscope module in front of the camera’s normal lens. The device fits easily in the user’s pocket.
The operation of the device is based on images produced by the combined effect of an LED light and an optical lens. Various surfaces and structures can be examined in microscopic detail and the phone’s camera used to take sharp, high-resolution images that can be forwarded as MMS messages.
The plastic macro lens of the mobile phone microscope magnifies objects effectively. The camera’s field of view is 2 x 3 millimetres. A number of LEDs have been sunk into the outer edge of the lens, allowing objects to be illuminated from different angles.
VTT says the device is aimed at the printing industry, consumers, the security business, and even health care professionals.
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