# IBM/MicroscoPy

An open-source, motorized, and modular microscope built using LEGO bricks, Arduino, Raspberry Pi and 3D printing.

Repository: https://github.com/IBM/MicroscoPy
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/microscopy
Language: Python
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2021-08-28T18:57:24+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2324, "days_push": 1831, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1220, forks 115 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:02.004595+00:00)

## What it is
An open-source, motorized, modular microscope built from LEGO bricks, 3D-printed parts, an Arduino, and a Raspberry Pi with an 8MP camera. The Python software controls six stepper motors for focus, magnification, sample positioning, and illumination to capture images and videos of samples from centimeter to micrometer scale.

## Use cases
- build a low-cost motorized microscope for education
- image samples from millimeters down to micrometers
- control microscope focus and stage position with stepper motors
- capture images and video with a Raspberry Pi camera
- measure water droplet contact angles with a digital goniometer
- teach optics and hardware assembly with LEGO

## When to choose
- you need an affordable, modular microscope for classrooms or hobby labs
- you want a customizable open-hardware imaging platform you can extend
- you want a hands-on STEM project combining LEGO, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi

## When to avoid
- you need professional-grade optics, calibration, or research-quality imaging
- you want a turnkey commercial microscope without assembly
- you cannot source electronic components or do soldering and 3D printing

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: maintenance
- function: image-processing, embedded, developer-tools
- domain: education, hardware, computer-vision, simulation
- platform: python, embedded
- tags: microscope, lego, arduino, raspberry-pi, 3d-printing, open-hardware, stepper-motors, low-cost, diy-science, linux

## Member repositories
- IBM/MicroscoPy (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:02.004595+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:15:55.474992+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/IBM/MicroscoPy (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:02.004595+00:00, sha be9336ea6f13)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.