---
title: "Microscope Uses Holograms Instead Of Lenses To Diagnose Disease"
description: "A new prototype microscope doesn't use lenses to magnify objects. Instead, it makes holograms that a computer digitally records and magnifies."
date: "2015-01-05"
modified: "2015-01-05"
authors:
  - name: "Andrew Johnson"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/andrewjohnson"
url: "https://futurism.com/microscope-uses-holograms-instead-of-lenses-to-diagnose-disease"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
---

# Microscope Uses Holograms Instead Of Lenses To Diagnose Disease

![Default Futurism featured image](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Futurism-Filler-Image.jpg>)

- They're called digital holographic microscopes. Until now however, they haven't been able to make images of high enough quality to use to diagnose diseases.
- The holographic microscope works by beaming partially coherent light down through the sample the pathologist wants to examine. The light projects a holographic image of the sample onto an image-sensing chip, which is positioned below the sample. The chip collects data about the light and sends the data to a computer, where specially developed algorithms reconstruct a high-resolution image of the sample.
- Researchers are especially interested in digital holographic microscopes because their parts can be fairly cheap.