Tagarno Microscopes for Remote Study During Covid-19
Social distancing guidelines and regulations have put pressure on a great many organisations to find new ways of keeping employees and students connected while working remotely.
For more deskbound occupations and roles, this can be relatively straightforward, but what about lab-based quality control, research and study?
The answer is digital remote microscopy. Digital microscopes enable sharing of data online, along with collaborative working through multi-viewing in real time.
They are also ideal for remote training functions.
Tagarno provides a range of these digital inspection systems, for expert quality analysis, anywhere, at any time.
What is Remote Microscopy?
Remote microscopy is a means of taking technology out of the laboratory without compromising on its capabilities.
Traditional methods of remote microscopy rely on placing cameras on top of microscopes and offering a digital view of slides.
Modern methods of remote microscopy rely on digital technology, connecting the microscope up to a computer monitor and then using different viewing options for accessing its images.
The scientific and academic communities, along with other sectors where laboratory-grade testing equipment is essential, have had to adapt rapidly to the new realities of life during Covid-19.
A vital element to scientific research, investigation and testing is collaboration.
Not only is there the need for accessing equipment outside the lab, but also, somehow, sharing its capabilities with others, remotely, and in real time.
Effectively, working from home needs to enable users to act as field stations, which are all interconnected and networked for co-ordinating actions and comparing findings.
This is where the digital microscope is proving invaluable.
How Does a Digital Microscope Work?
A digital microscope uses a digital camera instead of the eyepiece you find in traditional microscopes. The microscope connects to a monitor to display its results in real time.
This device uses optics and its built-in digital camera to output the images it captures to the display screen. It can perform the same functions as a normal microscope, but offers additional benefits:
High quality images
Enhanced magnification
Image storage
Ease of use.
But the chief benefit for remote studying and working is that the digital microscope enables collaborative working.
What are the Uses of Digital Microscopes?
Digital microscopes are extremely useful instruments for laboratory testing, but they also have a broad range of quality control and quality assurance applications across different sectors and industries. One of these is food testing.
Digital inspection systems from Tagarno have a primary use in grain analysis and seed inspection.
The technology enables ultra-magnified views of food samples, rendering even the smallest details as clear, high-definition images.
Various agriculture and food-based businesses can take advantage of this technology, including seed producers, grain merchants, inspection services and dedicated research centres.
Tagarno digital microscopes are ideal for testing grains, seeds, refined sugars, refined salt and spices and more.
It enables users to detect contaminants and signs of seed germination, and to observe seed variety and coating quality.
Collaborate and Train With Multi-viewer Capability
As an inspection and testing tool, the digital microscope lets people look at a sample simultaneously. Unlike with a traditional microscope, they do not have to take turns to look through an ocular.
This enables a more dynamic, fluid atmosphere for collaboration and discussion.
Along with the ergonomic benefits of going digital this way, this collaborative aspect is a key reason why many quality control systems are now switching to digital microscopes.
This real-time team approach also helps eliminate error, with multiple pairs of eyes being able to look at test batches.
The digital microscope also enhances training, with instructors and trainees able to examine things simultaneously.
Obviously, these collaborative and training advantages now also extend to remote working with remote microscopy.
Lastly, digital microscopes are better for posture than stereo microscopes – From an ergonomic perspective, viewing results on a screen is more comfortable and better for one’s posture than through a scope.
What are the Benefits of Remote Microscopy?
The technology that drives digital microscopes also ensures that they are an effective platform for remote collaboration.
This makes them ideal for problem-solving online, and for use as a real-time visualisation tool in virtual meetings.
When you meet online with colleagues, customers or stakeholders, you can simply share live images from your microscope with everyone else attending.
You can explain the sample and move it around for everyone to see the different aspects of it that you are describing.
The chief benefits of remote microscopy are:
Everyone has access to the same information at the same time
You do not need to physically transport samples to other locations for further analysis by other people
You can record the meeting and the sample results visually where necessary
Any issues arising from inspecting a sample can be addressed much more quickly online
No one is having to travel distances to attend meetings and report findings
During the Covid-19 pandemic, you can maintain safe social distancing, but still collaborate closely based on a full view of the samples examined.
The Tagarno digital microscope will capture and save images to its internal memory, a USB stick or a network drive, without having to be connected to a PC for live viewing.
You no longer need to spend extended time staring closely into an eyepiece, because you can now view your sample instantly on a monitor display.
How to Plan for Remote Study and Work
Remote working, like other forms of work, will be most successful if you put the correct resources in place from the outset.
With remote microscopy, there are certain steps to get the most out of the equipment.
A good IT infrastructure will help. Whereas digital microscopes such as Tagarno models have lots of capability for online and remote working, having the right communications network will help to support this.
The Tagarno digital microscope can be used as a stand-alone instrument for collaborative microscopy; however with the easy plug and play USB cable the live image can be seen on a PC or laptop. This livestream can simply be screen shared through proprietary video conferencing software, such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom to name a few, for that instant remote microscopy experience.
What is the Legacy of Remote Working for Quality Control?
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced organisations, institutions and businesses to structure their working arrangements differently.
But the implication is that some of these changes may well be permanent, because they demonstrate new efficient and cost-effective ways of working.
Remote working is one such change.
It has the potential to provide big savings on both time and resources, cutting out the daily commute and reducing the need for expensive workplace accommodation.
In scientific communities, where much of the work is lab-based and involves close collaboration, these advantages might appear to be limited in their application.
However, technology such as the digital microscope is enabling the continuity of this kind of close collaborative work, alongside technical benefits.
Explore the Benefits of Tagarno Inspection Systems
Tagarno’s innovative magnification systems combine high-definition image viewing with collaborative multi-viewer options.
They are ideal tools for remote working and training, and for essential quality control and inspection.
For more details about the Tagarno range of digital microscopes, please call us on +44 (0) 1925 860 401, email info@calibrecontrol.com, or fill in our online contact form.