Automation
Advances Life Sciences Microscopy

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Automated microscopy in the life sciences can trace its beginnings to the semiconductor industry. In the 1970’s, automated microscope stages were developed and used extensively for wafer inspection in semiconductor fabrication. By grafting motorized components onto a microscope designed for manual use, automation was achieved. Over time, more functionality became internal to the microscope.

By the 1990’s, microscopes with automated internal controls were commercially available for the life sciences laboratory. A researcher could purchase a microscope with controls that motorized stage movement, the changing of nosepieces, and Z focus. In many ways, this early technology was automation without a clear-cut application. The microscope was motorized, but the software to control it was limited in what it could do.

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J. Dreschler
Leica Microsystems Inc., USA
Scientific and Technical Information
Edition CDR 8, pp. 130–133
October 2005