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Introducing AutoOpenRaman, an automated, inexpensive microscope setup for Raman spectroscopy! We recapitulated many features of expensive commercial systems using economical hardware and open-source software 🧵 [1/8] research.arcadiascience.com/pub/resource...

The problem: Commercial Raman systems offer automation, but cost $200k+. #OpenRAMAN (open-raman.org) is a powerful, inexpensive DIY alternative, but it doesn't support automation. [2/8]

Our solution: AutoOpenRaman adds automation to OpenRAMAN while keeping it open-source and relatively inexpensive (~$8k in total). [3/8]

The software is designed for non-programmers to install and use, built on µManager (micro-manager.org) for broad device support. Users can swap hardware components as long as µManager supports them — no code changes needed [5/8]

We demonstrated AutoOpenRaman's capabilities by automatically collecting 200 Raman spectra from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii colonies in 68 minutes across a 96-well plate format. The system successfully detected β-carotene signatures in the algae. [6/8]

This resource is perfect for scientists who want to try Raman spectroscopy without committing to expensive commercial systems, or current OpenRAMAN users who want to add automation to their experiments. [7/8]