New lens-free fluorescent microscope developed

Scientists have developed a new type of thin, fluorescent microscope that removes the need for a traditional lens, offering a range of potential applications.

The FlatScope system is being developed by researchers at Rice University as a fingertip-sized wide-field microscope that is thinner than a credit card and capable of micrometre resolution over a volume of several cubic millimetres.

It uses a charge-coupled device chip to capture incoming light, but replaces the lenses used in a traditional microscope with a custom amplitude mask that translates the information into data that a computer program can interpret visually.

This allows for the creation of microscopic imaging systems that are much smaller and more convenient than current technologies, as well as offering quicker processing times and easier manufacturing processes.

Rice University engineer Ashok Veeraraghavan said: "One of the big advantages of this technology compared with traditional cameras is that because we don't need lenses, we don't need post-fabrication assembly. We can imagine this rolling off a fabrication line."

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