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Micro-CT of Miniature Fruitcake

Using the Bruker SkyScan 1173 Product Inspection: Using micro-CT to study consumer food products Now that the year is coming to a close and we all slow to spend time with friends and family, many will gather to share gifts. No other gift is both so ingrained in the

Micro-CT of Inkjet Cartridge

Micro-CT of Inkjet Cartridge Using the Bruker SkyScan 1275   Product Inspection: Using micro-CT to see inside assembled consumer products Inkjet printers are the best selling print technology on the market today. Originally attractive because of the low price, the technology is now used in many diverse applications, from

Micro-CT of Apple Watch S1

Micro-CT of Apple Watch S1 Using the Bruker SkyScan 1275  Electronics Inspection: Using micro-CT to see inside wearable technology More powerful, faster, smaller – in 1975, Moore’s Law predicted the doubling of transistors within integrated circuits every two years, and while this growth has slowed some as feature widths

MicroCT of a Beach Hopper

Wrapping up the fun-filled days this summer? Amidst all the tanning, surfing, and sand-castling, you may be surprised to think about the plethora of life teeming just under the surface! Move around some seaweed and you might see small shrimp-like animals hopping about, but don’t worry, these little crustaceans

MicroCT of a Molar Tooth

“There comes a point in some of our lives where one (or more) of our pearly whites falls victim to the dreaded drill courtesy of a visit to the dentist. Whether it is a tooth which simply outstayed its welcome or a tooth which needed significant reinforcements in the

Micro-CT of a Praying Mantis

Spring is approaching, and there is much to look forward too; warm weather, beautiful foliage and insects! Ok, besides the pesky flies, mosquitoes, spiders…. Well, maybe you are not anticipating the insects but there is one here at Micro Photonics that fascinated our interest. Commonly known as a praying

MicroCT of Seashells

It is summer and is time to soak up some sun and head to the beach! As you walk along the beach you probably have collected seashells as a kid or still do.  Those fond memories gave us the great idea to scan seashells. Combing the beach for seashells

MicroCT of a Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus hirta (L.) Sudworth) is a common Midwest and Northeastern plant with palm-like leaves and a distinctive red coned fruit that is actually a cluster of small fuzzy seeds. The fruit is what makes this plant highly regarded, especially to Native American tribes, where the fruit is

Thoughts on Turning Points and Scientific Innovation

Scientific research has always been global to some extent, with major contributions coming from around the world. But globalization has sped up, with increasing exchanges of ideas, research tools, and scientific collaboration, all made possible by the development of the internet. Micro Photonics has played its own part in

Micro-CT of Fruits

  Food scientists contribute to our bounty of fresh fruits by applying a wide range of scientific knowledge to maintain and improve our high quality, abundant food supply. Their efforts allow us to make the best use of our food resources and minimize waste. How foods such as fruit

Micro-CT of a Rose

Roses have long captivated our hearts and minds, but the very transience and fragility of the flowers make them more difficult to study. The flower, the place where all new roses begin, is the reproductive structure of the plant. Rose flowers are fairly typical of most flowering plants, which

Growing Bone in Space: Studying Spaceflight-induced Osteoporosis (OP) with Micro-CT

Researcher News:  Jin Hee Kwak, DDS, MS, UCLA Orthodontics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIgU95fL0qg&feature=youtu.be Microgravity, or weightlessness, affects many observable phenomena and thus provides a unique environment for study. A successful launch of the SpaceX CRS-11 took place on June 3rd, 2017, carrying an experiment from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Micro-CT of an Avocado

Avocados, once a rare treat available only in west coast cities able to sell fresh fruit in season, are now found year round across the country. Loosened import restrictions have led to the increase in availability, as Mexico is the world’s largest producer of avocados. Although most avocado varieties

Micro-CT of Green and Black Teas

Both green and black tea, and in fact, oolong and white tea as well, come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The use of tea is likely to have originated in China during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). During that time, only the leaves were steeped, whereas the idea

Micro-CT of a Wax-coated Paper Cup

Click here see a 3-D video of a wax-coated paper cup Why Scan a Cup? Years ago, communal glass cups were used at public drinking fountains, causing deadly diseases to spread more easily. To prevent the sharing of germs, a lawyer by the name of Lawrence Luellen thought of

Micro-CT of a Mouse Mandible

Click here see a 3-D video of the mouse tooth and jawbone Why Segment Samples? If your region of interest in a sample is composed of a material of different density than what surrounds it, Micro-CT segmentation offers a way to virtually segment it, without breaking the sample. Using

Micro-CT of a Stained Mouse Heart

Unravelling the intricacies of the heart is an ongoing process for researchers, and micro-CT imaging adds to our understanding of heart tissue. As one looks at the heart it seems to be made of complex muscle fibers and interactions that can appear quite confusing. Yet, if we image the

Keep Warm! Micro-CT of Foam Insulation

Winter is here and the colder temperatures are likely raising your heating bills, as heating and cooling are said to account for 50-70% of energy bills.1 Ensuring that you have adequate insulation throughout your house, including your floors, walls, and ceilings, will decrease the amount of energy needed for

Micro-CT of a D-Cell Battery

Micro-CT of a Battery Micro-CT is a powerful tool that allows researchers to look inside objects non-destructively so that the sample can be used for further tests.  In this case, a micro-CT of a battery was performed using our Bruker SkyScan 1275 micro-CT system.  The D-Cell battery was scanned

Biomimicry – The Burr and the Invention of Velcro

  Figure 1. Biomimicry of a burr (Left) for the invention of Velcro (Right). Nature has had billions of years to refine itself and develop a plethora of unique structures and functions. Scientists and engineers use what nature shows us to develop some of the most innovative technologies, such

Micro-CT for Insect Inspection: Cicada ~ Analysis of Its Anatomy

VIEW our Micro-CT Video of a Cicada! The Quintessential Sound of Cicadas Heard from the front porch, garden swing, or evening walk, the song of the cicada is the sound of summer. The sounds are from male cicadas, and are part of their mating ritual to attract females. Several species of

SkyScan 1173 from Micro Photonics being used to digitize all species of fish

With more than 25,000 species identified worldwide, fish demonstrate more species diversity than all other kinds of vertebrates. A unique project using a SkyScan 1173 Micro-CT Scanner from Micro Photonics is changing the way scientists, teachers, students, and amateur ichthyologists will be able to study any fish from around

Micro-CT for Insect Inspection: Bumble Bee ~ Analysis of Flight

Borrowing ideas from nature to improve methods of flight Flight has fascinated mankind from early attempts at flight and the Wright Flyer to today’s supersonic jets and the ever-increasing use of drones. Many universities as well as the government are working on flight methods that more closely resemble the

Plesiosaur Vertebra– The Backyard Fossil

At some point, every child becomes fascinated with dinosaurs, with their larger than life size and epic battles between predators (at least in the movies).  Those same children probably dream about trekking through the desert to find a dinosaur buried in the ground.  Well, for one such boy that

Clogged Spray Nozzle

As you sit in front of the hair stylist or barber, he or she may pull out a spray bottle to apply product for your stylish new look. Occasionally, the sprayer will just stop working, leaving the stylist frustrated. We had a stylist provide us with a nozzle that wasn’t working.

A Water Filter and the Watershed Model

          All of us expect the water we drink to be crystal clear and clean. Some people even go to the extent of using filtering methods to further clean our tap water. As the residents of Flint Michigan and other areas know, the use of a

Sandpaper – Virtual Sanding

Spring is coming and it is time to get the tools out of the shed to build, repair, or fix things. One tool that many of us use is sandpaper. Whether that old bench outside needs sanding or some copper pipes need cleaning before adding fittings, sandpaper is the

“INSIDE DENTISTRY” PUBLICATION

Dental Micro-CT We are glad to have worked in collaboration with Dr. Gregory Jacobs to provide dental micro-CT images for 3D printing and educational purposes in the dental field. Using the SkyScan 1172 micro-CT scanner, along with our visualization software suite, we were able to create virtual 2D and

Have you ever heard of the Yellowstone Supervolcano?

Micro-CT for Geology Remember in 2012 when the Yellowstone Supervolcano was supposed to erupt into a global catastrophe? Fortunately, the science of predicting eruptions has advanced greatly in the last 25 years, according to scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. They estimate the probability of another major eruption as

Have you got the gall?

Could it be that green mutations are not limited to The Hulk? Plant tumors are caused by insect infestation, bacteria, fungi, or viruses. In animals a tumor is defined as uncontrollable cellular division, generally due to DNA mutation. When localized and harmless, the abnormal growth (neoplasia) is referred to

A Hop Toward Oktoberfest

      Image of the Month: Hops Flower   Over 7 million liters of beer are consumed, endless parades are held, delicious specialty foods are consumed, and traditional lederhosen are worn; these are only a few highlights of Oktoberfest, one of the world’s largest festivals. Originating in Bavaria, Germany,

MicroCT of a Seahorse

September 2015 – Bio-Imitation of Seahorse Tail Inspires Innovative Robotic Machinery By Kaamna C. Mirchandani If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, we should find seahorses overjoyed, along with spiders, snakes and sea cucumbers; other participants of the biomimicry effort. Known as the unique equine bony fish of

MicroCT of a Sparkler

Image of the Month: Sparkler   Since this Saturday marks the 4th of July, we wanted to join in the celebration. As most people go to see a fireworks show during this time of the year, we decided to have our own celebration a little early. Our warmup to the

MicroCT of a Grape and Raisin

Did you know famed MRI technologist, Andy Ellison, prepares his CT machinery for human bodies by scanning images of fruits and vegetables? (Nuwer, 2014) Taking a deeper look into common fruit, its layers unfold; and they become motional works of art. In addition to artistic contributions, capturing CT scans

Micro CT of a Grape Hyacinth

Image of the Month: A Pop of Spring Color To enjoy spring is to enjoy the colors spring paints nature. It is easy to admire the unique stunning blue of the grape hyacinth flower. Muscari armeniacum is a favorite of the springtime gardener. In addition to its vivid blue color and sweet fragrance,

MicroCT of a Leopard Skull

Image of the Month: Leopard Skull     It is time to say goodbye to snow and hello to spring!  While this is something we look forward to, our friend the snow leopard prefers to live in extreme high-altitude snow environments1. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is also known as the

Micro CT of an LED

Image of the Month – March 2015 A Bright Idea! Micro-CT of an LED There has been a lot of talk about LED’s over the past few years, from LED flashlights to LED TV’s. So what are LED’s? Why are they so important to the world around us? And

MicroCT of a Cold Pill

Image of the Month: Cold Season – February 2014 Have you been sick this winter and taken a cold pill to relieve your symptoms? Have you ever wondered about the science behind cold pills? We at Micro Photonics were interested and found there is a lot that goes into ensuring the quality

Micro CT of a Cricket

Image of the Month: Cricket – January 2014 Good Luck for the New Year! Figure 1. Projection image of a cricket with 3X offset for extra wide scanning. Welcome to 2015! As our New Year’s resolution we are recycling… well sort of. This cricket met his demise in our

MicroCT of a Stocking

Image of the Month: Stocking – December 2014 Inside the Stocking! Winter is here and as a holiday tradition many people hang stockings over the fire place. Kids love to try and get a sneak peak of what is inside. Therefore, at Micro Photonics, we found a solution to

MicroCT of Mullein

Image of the Month: October 2014 Alien Plant – Mullein Up close this plant looks like something out a of science fiction movie. This plant is actually found throughout the United States and is called Common Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus L.). The above images are of the flower stalk at the

Micro-CT of a Shark Tooth

Image of the Month: Shark Tooth – September 2014 Take a bite of this! In honor of Shark Week, the images shown are from a 16mm x 21mm fossilized shark tooth that was discovered by Dr. Luke Beggs and his wife Emily.  Sharks lose and replace >10,000 teeth over

The Best Catch of the Month!

Image of the Month: Graphite Fishing Rod – August 2014 The Best Catch of Month! Anyone who is an avid fisherman/fisherwoman will know that a majority of fishing rods are made of graphite or a combination of carbon fiber and resins.  There is a lot of science that goes

Hot Diggity Dog!

Image of the Month: July 2014 Hot Diggity Dog! The 4th of July is right around the corner and many of us will be enjoying an American tradition of eating hot dogs. Since everyone else will be enjoying them, we figured we should too!  That is why we scanned a

¡ Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Today, May 5th, many of us will experience a colorful and festive celebration around us or be partaking in it ourselves. The holiday commonly known Cinco de Mayo features an abundance of foods, cocktails, and decoration of Mexican original or association. Margaritas, salsa and chips, tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and

Opening Day for Baseball

For the opening week of baseball, I would like to share two videos from baseballs we have scanned.  One is a ball from a major league game, the other, one of my son’s friends brought in to scan for a school project.  I was surprised by the differences between

Happy Pi Day!

In celebration of Albert Einstein’s Birthday and PI day we combined our physics based SkyScan 1173 micro-CT system with an apple pie. Enjoy our virtual pie perfection! Click here to see our PI Day YouTube video!    

Winter Olympics and the Science Of Snow

Winter Olympics and The Science of Snow Micro Photonics – Allentown PA – Feb 7, 2014 (image from Chen, Baker – link to paper below) At Micro Photonics, we have been avidly watching the  Winter Olympics and we certainly have been getting a lot of snow and ice this

Micro-CT of a Wishbone

With the Thanksgiving season soon be be upon us, we thought we would bring back one of our original images of the month to get everyone in the mood. Here is the wishbone scan from 2011 which we scanned on the Skyscan 1173 Bruker Micro-CT system in our micro-CT

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