PiAutoStage: An Open‐Source 3D Printed Tool for the Automatic Collection of High‐Resolution Microscope Imagery

We have created an open‐source 3D printable microscope automatic stage and integrated camera system capable of providing a means for imaging microscope slides—the PiAutoStage. The PiAutoStage was developed to interface with the high‐quality optics of existing microscopes by creating an adaptable system that can be used in conjunction with a range of microscope configurations. The PiAutoStage automatically captures the entire area of a microscope slide in a series of overlapping high‐resolution images, which can then be stitched into a single panoramic image. We have demonstrated the utility of the PiAutoStage when attached to a transmitted light microscope by creating high‐fidelity image stacks of rock specimens in plane polarized and cross‐polarized light. We have shown that the PiAutoStage is compatible with microscopes that do not currently have a camera attachment by using two different optical trains within the same microscope: one set of imagery collected through the photography tube of a trinocular microscope, and a second set through a camera mounted to an ocular. We furthermore establish the broad adaptability of the PiAutoStage system by attaching it to a reflected light stereo dissection microscope to capture images of microfossils. We discuss strategies for the online delivery of these large‐sized images in a data efficient manner through the application of tiled imagery and open‐source Java‐based web viewers. The low cost of the PiAutoStage system, combined with the data‐efficient mechanisms of online delivery make this system an important tool in promoting the universal accessibility of high‐resolution microscope imagery. Plain Language Summary The instruction of Earth science courses often relies upon the observation of in‐hand specimens which poses a significant barrier to delivering courses in an online format. While there are abundant resources for the digital delivery of 3‐dimensional images of rock specimens, there are limited avenues to deliver microscopic materials to students in a manner that approximates the in‐person experience. We have developed an accessible solution for creating and delivering microscopic educational materials to students. Our solution is an open‐source device that combines a 3D‐printed mechanism, to move a sample around the microscope, and an integrated camera that are both controlled by a central, inexpensive computer. The PiAutoStage system can be attached to almost any microscope and is capable of automatica