Case Study · Industrial / Microscopy

Solectrix: A Glasses-Free 3D Display for Digital Microscope Observation

Stereoscopic microscopy on a monitor, not through an eyepiece

Solectrix built a digital microscopy environment in which fine structures are observed in 3D on a monitor instead of through an eyepiece. A 15.6-inch custom glasses-free 3D display and the Native 3D SDK show stereo microscope video in real-time 3D while the existing viewer software stays as it is.

Conventional stereo microscopes require the eyes to stay fixed to the eyepiece, which causes considerable fatigue in long sessions. Demand for monitor-based digital microscope systems is therefore growing in research and industrial analysis. Most existing 3D displays, however, need 3D glasses and are unsuited to long working sessions.

A digital microscope replaces the eyepiece with a camera and shows the image on a monitor. Posture becomes free and images are easy to save and share, but one thing is lost: the stereoscopic view a binocular microscope gave each eye separately. On a flat monitor, surface relief, steps between components and the depth of tiny defects are hard to read by eye, so for precision work people end up going back to the eyepiece.

A display for digital microscopy therefore needs two things at once: comfortable to watch for hours without glasses, and fine structures shown precisely, without distortion. The second requirement includes resolution and color reproduction, which rules out using an ordinary display as it is.

Solectrix applied MOPIC's glasses-free 3D display and 3D SDK to its digital microscope viewer system, building a digital microscopy environment in which video from the stereo microscope cameras is shown on the monitor in real-time glasses-free 3D.

How it fits together

The 15.6-inch size and the observation-distance optics go together. Microscope work means watching a monitor within arm's reach, a completely different lens design from a large conference-room display. The optics were designed for this distance so that the left and right images stay separate and fine structures remain crisp even up close.

The 100% Adobe RGB gamut reflects the nature of microscope analysis. In many tasks — oxidation of materials, plating condition, the result of tissue staining — color itself is the evidence, so adding depth while distorting color would undermine the tool's value. Securing both 3D and color accuracy is the point of this display.

Watch the video

A better digital microscopy environment

With the glasses-free 3D display, users observe fine structures more accurately and in true depth.

More comfort in long working sessions

Monitor-based 3D observation in place of the eyepiece has reduced user fatigue over long sessions.

Faster product development and commercialization

MOPIC's rapid prototyping and technical support let the digital microscope product be developed and brought to market faster.

Not limited to microscopes. Any equipment where a person watches stereo camera video and makes judgments can get a stereoscopic observation environment the same way.