Design of a compact, handheld microscopic imaging system based on an affordable SoC platform

• Published in: Journal of physics. Conference series Vol. 2957; no. 1; pp. 12015 - 12024
• Main Authors: Chetry, Biprav, Nath, Pabitra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.02.2025
• Subjects: 3D printing; bright-field microscope; Cameras; Cellular structure; Design; Dynamic characteristics; Electronic components; ESP32; Handheld optical microscopy; Imaging; Modules; Optical microscopes; Organic light emitting diodes; System on chip; Three dimensional printing; Usability
• ISSN: 1742-6588; 1742-6596
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/2957/1/012015

Optical microscopic imaging is widely regarded as the preferred imaging technology for the visualisation and investigation of the complex and dynamic characteristics inherent in the cellular and sub-cellular structures of various specimens. However, despite its extensive utilisation and numerous benefits, an optical microscope is subject to certain significant limitations that restricts their usability within well-established and advanced laboratory facility conditions. All these factors make it challenging to use such microscopes as point-of-care tools in resource-limited regions. In that regard, this work reports the design and development of a compact, cost-effective, and robust microscopic imaging platform based on the ESP32 System on Chip (SoC) development board with the camera module. The compact optical setup that houses all the required optical and electronic components was designed with the help of 3D CAD software and fabricated using 3D printing technology. The developed imaging system can be accessed wirelessly on any device, such as a smartphone or a computer. This system utilizes the ESP32 camera module attached to easily available electronics and optical parts to perform bright-field imaging of the samples. A programmable 0.95-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display was used as an optical source to develop the system. The designed platform was able to generate a magnification of about 2.03x with a measured lateral resolution of 2.19 μm. The performance and usability of the device was demonstrated through imaging of different biological specimens. The complete cost of the microscopic imaging system is around Rs. 5,000 ($60), making it a very pocket-friendly and efficient imaging system.