Tensor Biotechnologies LLC is a new small business with the objective of providing affordable, open tools and consulting for
research, primarily for the bioengineering sector, but also for general engineering, materials science and education, including
K12, university, developing countries, and for researchers, artists, and enthusiasts (like me :).
Our company was inspired by
the current lack of affordable automated microscopy, imaging tools, and 3-D imaging/modeling solutions. A fully automated Nikon,
Olympus, or Leica microscope typically costs in the range of $50-100k. This cost was out of reach for our laboratory (and certainly
out of reach for other small labs, K12, DIY, and even University teaching labs...).
Therefore we decided to build our own system.
Now, after three+ years of development, we are ready to release. We take advantage of (very) new inexpensive motor control electronics
and our own novel software-hardware designs to produce an automated microscope that can compare or even exceed the capabilities
of existing Nikon/Olympus/Leica systems.
Not only that, but in the process we have gained a lot of experience in digital imaging,
software and new hardware systems for both research and DIY projects. We have developed a wide range of 3-D imaging and software analysis
tools and are very excited to provide these solutions using both Matlab (Mathworks.com) and open-source tools (please see
the projects page).
OUR GOAL is to provide new system(s) for 'open' imaging/microscopy, and ultimately a community resource for
automated imaging, motor control, illumination, and innovative tools for microscopy and 2D/3D reconstruction and analyses.
Imagine a
'smart' microscope that can automatically scan a whole slide, intelligently recognize important user-specified features, and
provide non-biased quantitative results... Imagine a resource of algorithms for microscopy and imaging systems -- by a community
of researchers, students, enthusiasts, and scientists... this is our vision (no pun intended).
Thank you for reading, and please
email for inquiries, purchasing/pricing of systems/consulting, or any other information.
Todd Doehring, Ph.D.
p.s.
Why 'Tensortek'? Well, we use
tensors for 3-D image deconvolution, stress calculations, and a lot of other tools, so it seemed
appropriate... :)