Compact and Affordable Raspberry Pi-Based Multimodal Imaging System With Remote Monitoring Capabilities for Bioimaging Applications.

Abstract

The rapid advancements in smartphone camera features and accessibility have garnered significant attention for smartphone-based imaging systems in recent years. However, due to variations in dimensions and camera positions across different phones, they often suffer from compatibility issues. In the present work, these issues have been addressed by using a Raspberry Pi single-board computer (SBC) as the platform for the development of a multimodal microscopic system. The proposed imaging system can be remotely accessed and controlled via Wi-Fi from a computer, tablet, or smartphone, thus offering greater flexibility compared to smartphone-based imaging systems. The system offers four imaging modalities: bright-field (BF), dark-field (DF), oblique illumination (OI), and differential phase contrast (DPC), all on a single platform without requiring any additional optical components. Developed at an affordable cost of ~$122 using 3D printing and readily available components, the system achieves a noteworthy optical resolution of 1.64 μm, comparable to a laboratory microscope with a ×10 objective. Its imaging capabilities have been validated against a research-grade microscope, demonstrating its potential as a reliable and cost-effective tool for sectors in need of accessible microscopy solutions.