Open Science Institute · Theme
Open Hardware
Open Hardware puts laboratory instruments within reach of researchers anywhere: open source designs, modular platforms, and remote-controlled infrastructure built to be copied.
Theme lead · Philip Dettinger
Open Microscope Hardware - OpenUC2
Project lead: Martin Etzrodt, PhD · Started 12/2025
We advocate for open hardware solutions in optical imaging and microscopy. We particularly support in this project the OpenUC2 platform’s modular and fully open-source ecosystem. This approach delivers state-of-the-art automated microscopy education about microscopy and technology to scientists worldwide. It includes empowerment of scientists without direct access to the technology and collaborative research through remote-controlled instruments, collaborative infrastructure, and open lab automation hardware—transforming how research communities share resources, protocols, and discoveries across institutional and geographic boundaries.
References (3)
- B. Diederich, I. Fuchs, H. Wang, H. Bierhoff, C. Kuttke, and R. Heintzmann, "UC2-ESP: A General-Purpose Framework for Open-Source Microscopy Control," 2025, [Online]. Available: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.22552
- Diederich B, Lachmann R, Carlstedt S, Marsikova B, Wang H, Uwurukundo X, Mosig AS, Heintzmann R. A versatile and customizable low-cost 3D-printed open standard for microscopic imaging. Nat Commun. 2020;11:5979. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19447-9.
- Diederich B, Schröder Y, Merola SS, Richter MJ, Alvelid J, Testa I. UC2-ESP: A general-purpose framework for open-source microscopy control. arXiv. 2025;2510.22552. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2510.22552