Flamingo Light Sheet Microscopes Rely on Drives from PI

The positioning of the sample plays a special role since the sample is moved linearly or rotated as required. For this purpose, PI (Physik Instrumente) supplies several subsystems. "We are proud to be among the seed supporters and sponsors of Jan Huisken’s groundbreaking Flamingo project," says Dr. Thomas Bocher, the Head of Segment Marketing 'Microscopy & Life Sciences' at PI. "For the Flamingo project, reliability and precision of modules are key factors. This means, high precision, fast movements, and a compact size of the drives together with high quality production standards and services from PI make the difference."

图像稳定测试评估内置于相机中的光学和电子图像稳定系统的工作情况。这些系统旨在补偿运动，因此避免了模糊图像。 

在与图像稳定相关的所有测试程序中，相机在多根轴上的重复精度非常重要。“我们必须确保每次测试的模拟频率和运动都是相同的，例如围绕旋转轴θ_X、θ_Y、θ_Z（俯仰、偏航、滚转），”Nicolas Touchard强调说。例如，在测试相机和智能手机时，需要高达约12赫兹的频率来模拟人手的颤抖，而驾驶辅助系统中的图像稳定则需补偿更高的频率。

Rotating the specimen can be useful in several scenarios. Often, researchers want to be able to image their sample from just the right angle (side view, top view etc.) or want to image an organ that’s only visible from certain angles (like the heart). The other big application for rotation is so-called multi-view imaging, where z-stacks are recorded from multiple angles, e.g. 6 angles covering 360 degrees, and then the useful parts of each dataset are fused to generate one 3D image that covers the entire sample. This is particularly useful for larger samples as the sample itself scatters, refracts and absorbs the light, affecting the illumination and detection quality of structures deep inside the sample. Therefore several angles are needed to capture all the details.

The rotation of the sample is supported by the U-628 ultrasonic piezo-motor-driven rotation stage from PI. It offers fast movement of up to 720°/s at a minimum step size of 51 µrad and a bidirectional repeatability of ±102µrad.

Jan Huisken, co-inventor of Light Sheet Microscopy when working on his PhD at the EMBL Heidelberg (Germany), has recently started this project and states, "We aim to democratize high-end light microscopy, bringing it to campuses and labs for free. We think this will be especially useful for reproducing scientific results, something increasingly important to science." Michael Weber, the Field Application Specialist for the US East Coast in the Flamingo project adds, "We’re turning the idea of a research imaging facility upside down. We want to bring the microscope as close to the sample as possible, rather than biologists bringing their delicate samples to us." Bringing the microscope to the biologist has one major advantage: Neither the biologist, nor the sample have to travel. Since most of the samples are highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions (e.g., gravity, humidity, temperature), this approach helps researchers to focus on their work rather than caring for logistics.

The project also aims to intensify the dialogue between system developers and users in order to further the development of the LSFM technology.

The second Flamingo system has already been set up on the East Coast of the United States. In the months and years to come, several dozens of Flamingos will be built to meet the enormous demand for state-of-the-art light sheet microscopes for research in the US and many other countries around the world. Thomas Bocher states, "PI will continue to support this philanthropic endeavor."