A team of scientists from the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have upgraded a normal microscope using algorithms and LED lights to take high-resolution images of samples.
It does this by using an array of LEDs to take a large number of images, each lit with a different LED, rather than using one very high-resolution image, meaning that the image is constructed in software after it has been taken.
This allows the microscope to take images at a much higher resolution than it is normally capable of.
The code is available on GitHub, though it is warned that high-quality microscopes are needed, and colour cameras do not work, meaning that a monochrome camera is required.
It should also be noted that the LEDs need to be quite small, and they must pass through whatever is being studied, so this technology is currently only suitable for certain transmissive microscopes.
