An Interactive Remote Microscopy Application for WWW-Based Control of an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM)

Benjamin Grosser

Manager, Visualization, Media and Imaging Laboratory
Beckman Institute

05 May 1999

irma (Interactive Remote Microscopy Application) is a new software system for web-based remote control of a Philips XL30 ESEM-FEG. irma consists of three primary applications, the irma|ESEM Image Observer, the irma|ESEM Scope Controller, and irma|Server. The Observer and Controller constitute the Java-based GUI front-end for microscope control and image acquisition. Both are loosely based on JavaScope|TEM, a Java-based front-end for controlling a Philips CM200 Transmission Electron Microscope. irma|Server, the UNIX-based back-end for direct microscope control, is based on the emScope library by Nick Kisseberth. irma has been in use since March, 1999 as the enabling software for Bugscope, an ongoing K-12 education project which provides ESEM access to schools nationwide. Information about the architecture of the system, a comparison of past and current work, and a live demo of irma|ESEM will be presented.