Remote control of the scanning electron microscope

Abstract

A pathology diagnosis starts to investigate from a biological form and a detailed surface structure of biological cellular tissue using a microscope. In this investigation, a pathologist uses not only an optical microscope but also a scanning electron microscope, which has magnification power from tens times to 1 million times. The scanning electron microscope is one of the versatile instruments that can vividly display minute surface structure as a picture. As an example, the minute bacteria or virus were photographed with a scanning electron microscope. To define the problem of the pathology in small cellular tissue using these microscopes, we need the special knowledge and need to be rich in the experience. A pathologist with such technical knowledge is not available in all hospitals, and the number is also restricted. Especially, the expensive microscope is not installed in every hospital. And now, the scanning electron microscope is installed only in main hospitals. A pathologist needs to connect with a microscope easily from anywhere and try to find the point of cause from the microscope images. As the necessity that a pathologist gives a diagnosis becomes higher, a pathologist needs to operate a microscope by remote control from anywhere and needs a system observable on real time. Especially, a pathologist of a remote place observes the image of a scanning microscope and actually operates a scanning electron microscope. Because the pathologist can adequately specify the observation place and shape, efficient work can be done. And a doctor and the pathologist can coincide information from same image. They can also get rid of the mistake in diagnosis generated by the shortage of communication. This section will discuss the advantages of the remote control of a scanning electron microscope and actual hardware requirements. © Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2009.