Mar 10 2011
Olympus has announced the release of the BX63 microscope system, the top-of-the-range model of the powerful BX3 portfolio. BX3 microscope systems are built by your needs, with a modular, customisable design that makes them flexible enough to be adjusted to different experimental requirements, while providing inherent future-proof adaptability.
Users can select their preferred components, including optical elements, camera, software suite, and control solutions. The BX63 also incorporates several cutting-edge, fully motorised features including a programmable touch screen and a detachable remote control. These characteristics maximise accuracy and stability, as well as allowing the BX63 to be modified in order to suit the workflow of each individual user. This ethos extends through to the accompanying cellSens software, which can be personalised depending on user preferences to maximise efficiency and ease-of-use.
The BX63 is fully motorised and can be controlled using the touch screen control surface, the remote control unit or the cellSens software via the mouse. This provides intuitive and easy operation using control units that are fully detachable, thereby providing the most ergonomic solution possible, which can be fully tailored to meet the needs of each individual user. The units themselves provide the widest range of adjustment options, including the ability to change objective lens, mirror unit and observation method, as well as the power to navigate and focus the sample.
Among the mechanized features of the BX63 is a unique focusing mechanism driven by changes in the height of the nosepiece, rather than the height of the stage. This approach allows the stage to be fixed into position and makes the entire system more stable and precise. The stage itself is also motorised, facilitating precise X,Y movements using ultrasonic Piezo technology to provide silent, smooth and highly-precise operation. Accurate position encoders attached to the stage continuously send XY-coordinates to the cellSens software, maximising the reproducibility of multi-position experiments. The position of the stage can also be manipulated by hand, allowing rapid, gross changes in sample position.
The motorised nature of the BX63 facilitates full and flexible control by the Olympus cellSens software suite, making it possible to perform advanced imaging processes such as multiple image alignment, multi-position and Z-stack acquisition. The BX63 can also be fitted with a novel true-colour LED system to increase image quality and minimise power consumption. With a wide range of options available, users can fully define their BX63 microscopy system, from the components through to their preferred control method.
cellSens Dimension
The cellSens Dimension software package provides a broad range of advanced features for microscope-based investigations. The system allows the user to perform a range of complex and highly sophisticated experiments, from extended focal imaging to multiple image alignment and multi-position imaging. Precise, complex time-lapse experiments can be conducted, and the resulting time stacks subjected to advanced kinetic and threshold-based object analysis. The unique report composer uses Microsoft Word templates to generate reports based on user-generated images and data stored in the cellSens database. To provide further flexibility and additional functionality, the optional cellSens Solution modules can be incorporated into the system. These include: 5D Multichannel, Multi-position, Count and Measure, CI Deconvolution, Database and Netcam.