How Microscopes went from Bulky Instruments to Elegant Apps

Understanding The History of the Microscope

Unless you work in a lab, you may not realize that you can download an iPhone microscope app. This app can be used to view extremely small objects in extreme detail on your smartphone. While an iPhone microscope app has a wide variety of applications, microscopes have traveled a long way to go from the science lab to our smartphones.

The first microscope was invented in 1590. Although we don’t know for sure who invented the first microscope, Hans Lippershey was the first to file a patent for it. The invention of the microscope changes the way that we see and understand the world.

As word of the microscope spread, the likes of Galileo and other notable philosophers and scientists began experimenting with it – exploring new possibilities. Eventually, Anthony Leeuwenhoek (a man from Holland) became interested in the possibilities of lenses while working with a magnifying glass. He used the glass to count threads in woven cloth and eventually became so interested he started making his own magnifying lenses. By grinding and polishing lenses, Leeuwenhoek improved the curvature of the lenses and was able to produce a magnification of 270 times.

This improved magnification soon led to the viewing of bacteria, yeast, blood cells, and small microorganisms swimming in water droplets. Because of this, Leeuwenhoek has often been called the Father of Microscopy. Just imagine if he could see an iPhone microscope app today. While a microscope app for iPhones or a microscope app for Android may have been unthinkable to these early pioneers, a lot of exciting innovation was still to come.

Next in the microscope scene is Robert Hooke, who spent much of his life refining microscopes to increase their capabilities. Because of the advances Hooke made in microscope technology, he is often referred to as the English Father of Microscopy.

Today we have everything from apps to handheld microscopes that give us access to observe a world once hidden. The observation of this hidden microscopic world has made incredible advances in many industries and sciences. Though you many not realize it, your life today would be very different were it not for some of the advances we have had because of microscope technology.

Advances Resulting from Microscope Technology

Microscopes allow us to view things in incredible detail. In fact, the only reason we know that some things exist is because of microscope technology. Before the invention of microscopes, disease was generally considered an act of God. When someone caught the black plague or another terrible disease, there was no visible reason for it. Microscopes helped us see this world of tiny little creatures and helped Louis Pasteur develop Germ Theory.

Germ theory eventually helped us develop practices in hospitals, such as washing hands and tools between procedures. These practices have saved millions of lives. Today, it seems strange to think that doctors didn’t wash scalpels and other tools in between patients because it was seen as a waste of time. Thank you microscopes!

If medicine isn’t enough of a way to see how microscopes have evolved, then consider chemistry. Chemistry deals with very, very small things. Some of them so small that even modern day microscopes cannot observe them yet. However, chemistry is used in our lives every day. Next time you drive your car to work or school that is chemistry at play. Heating up food in an oven? Thank you chemistry. The understanding of elements and molecules, helped by microscopes, has played an essential role in modern society.

Commoditizing Microscopes through Apps

Something really cool starts happening when you get a great technology into the hands of hundreds of thousands of people (for example an iPhone microscope app). As more and more people start using microscopes to look at things, incredible discoveries are made. The discoveries aren’t just made by professional scientists either! In fact, many “professional” scientists started out as enthusiasts who happened to make a discovery. The same thing is happening with smartphone microscope apps. As more and more people take to looking at the microscopic world, there are huge potentials for discoveries.

Top 5 uses of a microscope app for iPhone

Microscopes have been around for quite a long time now, and these devices have contributed to countless discoveries. Prior to advances in technology, microscopes have been primarily composed of a series of magnifying glasses. With these, for high order magnification to be achieved, the microscope had to be bulky and expensive.

The advances in the camera technology have proven to be a game changer when it comes to magnification. Not only can cameras provide impressive magnification, but they can also achieve high definition visuals. On top of that, they can be integrated with other types of modern technology. When it comes to iPhones, there are a number of microscope apps that can assist researchers using modern microscopes. In this post, we will look at some of the five areas of operation where a microscope app for iPhone would apply.

Industrial

Industrial microscopes have proven to be quite beneficial. With a microscope app on a mobile device, they can be used for areas such as quality control, especially in manufacturing and assembly industries. With the integration of a wireless sharing device, this becomes quite convenient and easy to apply. A microscope app for iPhone can also help in the inspection of materials and parts as well as in taking precise measurements.

Jewelry

For authentication purposes, jewelers and jewelry enthusiast have been using magnifying glasses to view the finer details of the jewelry they encounter. However, the level of accuracy and details acquired through the use of simple magnifying glasses is not enough, and this is the reason high-end jewelers are using microscopes. Now, jewelers can use digital microscope and apps for mobile devices such as iPhones.

Healthcare

Microscopes have been synonymous with the healthcare and biological research industry since their inception. With new microscope apps available for iPhones and other smartphones, personnel in this industry are now able to easily share and record data on their devices. This makes it easier to collaborate, check references, or get a second opinion from colleagues.

Science and Education

This was the pioneering sector in the development of microscopes. Today, scientists can view objects as small as 500 nanometers using light microscopes. In the education field, digital microscopes allow for more interaction and hands-on learning in the classroom. Mobile apps give researchers and educators new tools to share their work, whether that be with colleagues, students, or the world at large.

Forensics

Forensics is yet another field that has greatly enjoyed the advances made in microscopy and the integration of handheld devices . With forensics, the possibility of sharing their results through the capture of images and videos is a major benefit in field work. As a result, they are now able to store their forensic findings in a manner that can be easily accessed by other team members.

As we’ve seen, the microscope app for iPhones has found its way across multiple fields, and the benefits are incredible. With new ways to capture and share videos and images, professionals in a variety of industries have new tools to advance their field of study. With more compatibility such as microscope app for Android, there is so much more to come in this essential field.