Mobile microscope: a new concept for hand-held microscopes with image stabilization

In this paper, we propose the concept of a "mobile microscope". This is a hand-held microscope that can be used for observation in various places. Because microscopes which have a small observable area and are vulnerable to vibrations, images from hand-held microscopes are usually blurred. We propose a method of stabilizing images from a microscope which are affected by shaking, and we use the method to realize a mobile microscope. The method is based on high-speed visual feedback with an inclined image sensor for measuring the 3D movements of the microscope. We developed a prototype microscope system, without a built-in actuator, by employing this method. Experimental results showed that images from the hand-held microscope could be stabilized by our method.