The Forensic Institute - MiScope - The Hand-held portable Microscope

MiScope - A hand-held portable Microscope

The MiScope was first seen by me at the IAFS meeting in New Orleans. I was so impressed that I wanted to buy one there and then, but I was told that there were plenty and I could just as easily come back and pick one up at the end of the conference. Unfortunately they were more popular than even Dave Zweig, President of Zarbeco, expected, so I had to wait until I got back to the UK to order it resulting in an extended correspondence between Dave and myself. Well, to cut a long story short, we are now distributing these for Dave in Europe and the UK.

It really is a hand-held device, very portable, useful for teaching and casework.

Here’s the picture from MiScope’s website:

The MiScope plugs into any USB and the picture is seen using the supplied software, just like a webcam. The magnification range is between x40 and x140, but in use there is not continuous magnification; I have found that you get one focus at a low-ish magnification, and one at high magnification. Here’s a 1p piece at the two points:

As an example of how quick and easy the MiScope is in use, it took less than three minutes to plug it into the PC and produce the images there.

Some other captures just to illustrate;

(Finger ridges)

(Shirt cut with a sharp blade)

(Close up of shirt cut with scissors)

(Towel, torn)

(Close up of torn towel)

(Ball point pen with fibres from paper)

Using the MiScope is easy. Plug it in to the USB, place it over the object that you wish to capture, move the magnification/focus lever, and press the ‘capture’ button on the side of the device. Lighting is provided by four white LED’s around the lens and powered from the USB port of the computer.

We are keen to learn of new applications and development ideas. There is already a two wavelength version for use in document examination, and a bullet stage under development as a result of our playing with it. Oh, it also does time-lapse photomicrography!

The MiScope is an inexpensive tool that is ideal for teaching. Reaction from people who have seen it demonstrated has been overwhelmingly positive. Maybe a user group could be formed through FIRN in the future – who knows?

The MiScope Price List (ex-VAT).

To find out more, or to order, send an email to us and we will take it from there.

Prof. Allan Jamieson.

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