Not only what you look at under a microscope is small – the community that forms around it is also relatively compact. Yet, in this world of open science and innovative technology, people know each other well and foster close collaborations. One of these exciting partnerships is between OpenUC2 and Fairscope.
It was a looon trip, but totally worth it! See you soon again! 🙂
Fairscope is a French company that has been founded on top of the fantastic planktoscope project dedicated to developing open-source flow-stop systems. Their goal is to create powerful and open technologies for plankton analysis through a growing global community. This technology helps for example better understand the relationships between plankton and climate change. Since OpenUC2 follows a similarly open approach, it was only natural that our paths would cross. Yay! 🙂
Thibaut, the CEO of Fairscope, approached us with an exciting request: he had received funding to further develop his devices and was looking for optical consulting. How can the optical design of their devices be improved? This question was a perfect opportunity for us as a modular rapid-prototyping company in the field of optics to contribute our expertise.
What does infinity correction really means? Only the brioche may know…
I traveled to Morlaix in Brittany to work intensively with the Fairscope team for two days on optical concepts. During this time, we delved deep into topics such as wave optics, point spread functions (PSF), the Nyquist criterion and imaging brioche. The real charm of our collaboration lay in openness: we could exchange ideas freely without having to worry about NDAs or other restrictions. Yay again!
Armed with two boxes full of optical components and modifiable modules from the OpenUC2 portfolio, we succeeded in building the first prototypes. These could eventually become an integral part of Fairscope’s technology. This was not only proof of our modular platform’s capabilities but also a confirmation that we are not alone in our commitment to open science.
Test different illumination szenarios with the smartphone microscope.
The collaboration with Fairscope was not only a technical success but also an enriching experience on a personal level – including tasting different kinds of beer from the brewery directly under the Fairscope offices! The days we spent together in France showed how fruitful an open, interdisciplinary collaboration can be. We look forward to further expanding this German-French partnership and shaping the future of optical technologies together. Fairscope and openUC2 are both part of the SOOP project initiated by the Helmholtz HEREON. With this we are keen to support the blue economy with open-source optics!
Because open-source optics is not just about progress but also about community. And that is exactly what makes our work so special. Let’s keep it on Fairscope! 🙂
