Research Project
Underwater Microscope
Project Duration
2022
Role and Contribution
Hardware & Software Co-Developer (40% Contribution)
Technologies and Skills Applied
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Circuit Design & Development
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Linux Software Development (C, Python)
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Hardware Integration and Electrical Installation
Introduction
The system aims to monitor plankton in-situ, eliminating the need for manual water sampling and subsequent laboratory transfer. High-speed imaging was essential to prevent motion blur caused by rapid water currents and the natural movement of the plankton.
To address this, I implemented a Xenon flash stroboscopic system to instantaneously illuminate the subject, synchronized with a global shutter camera. Furthermore, I incorporated a mechanical flow-blocking mechanism driven by servo motors, which temporarily halts water flow within the observation chamber during image capture to ensure image sharpness.
Implementation
I designed and fabricated the Xenon flash driver circuit, interfacing it directly with a Raspberry Pi. A custom Linux application was developed to control the camera shutter and precisely synchronize it with the Xenon flash illumination.
Using this method, the system was successfully deployed off the coast of Gyeongju, South Korea, where it captured thousands of high-resolution plankton images. These datasets were subsequently analysed using the YOLO object detection algorithm to classify and identify plankton species.
Prototyping the Underwater Microscope Hardware (Sep 2022)
Hardware Testing of the Underwater Microscope in a Water Tank (Nov 2022)
Field Development at Sea (Nov 2022)
Microscopic Observation of Plankton (Size: 40.1 µm) (Nov 2022)