UK start up ioLight Limited has launched the first high resolution pocket digital microscope. The instrument displays beautiful images on an iPad for sharing and pasting into reports. For the first time scientists of all ages can capture and share professional quality images in the field instead of bringing samples back to the lab.

Conventional microscopes work best on a lab bench, but are too big, sensitive and unstable for field use and they need power, a camera and a computer to capture images. They are also expensive. Field microscopes compromise on image quality and are fiddly to use.

The ioLight microscope fits in a jacket pocket, is simple to use and robust. It unfolds quickly to record and share 5MP still images and real time HD video at a magnification of x200 on an iPad Air. The resolution is 1 micron, that’s 1/1,000 mm - powerful enough to see the structure of plant and animal cells. The product uses standard microscope slides and features adjustable top and bottom illumination for use on both biological and opaque samples. It is particularly good for live samples, which deteriorate on the journey back to the lab, and it works anywhere, even without a WiFi or mobile phone network.

Founders Richard Williams and Andrew Monk have used their experience of optical engineering to reconfigure low cost mobile phone parts into a compact and flexible device and file worldwide patent applications.

Andrew says, “It takes just a couple of minutes to get a great image on the microscope, anywhere from a river bank to a factory floor. This makes microscopy simpler for everyone, from experienced professionals to student scientists and drives public engagement with science.”

This simplicity of use in the field and classroom makes the ioLight microscope ideal for a wide range of applications such as field science, education and outreach, animal medicine, micro engineering, site surveys, customer support and any other application where portability and ease of use must not compromise image quality.

The ioLight microscope can be ordered now from iolight.co.uk.

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Company Background:

ioLight was founded in 2014 by Richard Williams and Andrew Monk. Its first product is the ioLight microscope, which is a high resolution, lightweight and highly portable microscope - the resolution is better than 1μm. The ioLight microscope produces beautiful pictures of animal and plant cells and displays them directly onto your tablet or mobile phone at a magnification of x200 on an iPad Air. The microscope connects immediately via an app so that images and videos can be captured and shared easily  without requiring WiFi or a mobile signal.

The microscope is for use in education, science and discovery centres, field and laboratory science, micro-engineering, medicine and any other application where portability and ease of use must not compromise image quality.