Category Electronics
Minimic
Microscope
Manufacturer
Intuity Media Lab GmbH
D-70176 Stuttgart
www.intuity.de
Design
Inhouse
Even in times of diagnostic imaging technologies, microscopy still numbers among the most important analytical methods used in medicine and many other scientific fields. However, the optical diagnosis of tissue or blood samples is time-consuming and requires a great deal of experience, even when it comes to routine processes like malaria analysis, which is conducted more than 200 million times a year worldwide. At first glance, the main differences between the newly developed optical microscope and its traditional relatives are the absence of an eyepiece and its compact, understated design. Inside, it contains standard mechanical and optical components, but the real innovation remains invisible: thanks to artificial intelligence that uses cloud-based deep learning, the microscope evaluates the samples all by itself. For the time being, the system has been optimised to identify malaria and tuberculosis, but it can also be trained to meet other diagnostic requirements.
Jury
The design underscores the new technological approach of the microscope: the characteristics of the black, understated housing are more in keeping with a consumer device than a piece of laboratory equipment. Because it’s transparent, the inner workings are visible and it avoids the aura of a black box. In addition, the clear design language visualises the appliance’s ease of use.