SMARTMICROOPTICS

SmartMicroOptics Srl (SMO) is a hardware technology firm that originated as a spin-off from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). The company was established in 2016 with a mission to provide accessible tools for exploring the micro-world. Its journey began when Andrea Antonini, a former researcher at the IIT's Laboratory of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, discovered that lenses he was designing to observe neural networks could transform a smartphone into a portable microscope. This led to the development of the company's core products. In 2015, the project gained support from the IIT and won a startup competition in Liguria.

A significant milestone was achieved in 2016 when the company launched a Kickstarter campaign for its first product, Blips, raising approximately $218,000 from over 5,000 backers, far exceeding its initial goal. The business operates primarily by selling its physical products directly to consumers and institutions through its e-commerce website. Its client base is diverse, ranging from science enthusiasts and students to teachers and researchers in schools, colleges, and universities globally. To better serve the U.S. market, the company has established a subsidiary, SMO-US Corp.

SmartMicroOptics offers two main product lines: Blips and DIPLE. Blips are a set of extremely thin, adhesive mini-lenses that stick to any smartphone or tablet camera without leaving residue. The Blips kit includes different lenses for various levels of magnification, such as the Macro lens (around 10x magnification) for detailed photos of insects and flowers, and the Micro and Ultra lenses, which can resolve details down to 4.5 and 3.5 microns respectively, enabling the observation of tissue cells. DIPLE is a more advanced, compact, and portable optical system that transforms a smartphone into a powerful microscope capable of observing bacteria and red blood cells with magnification up to 1000x. Both product lines are designed to be affordable, portable, and universally compatible with smartphones and tablets, making microscopy accessible to a broad audience.

Keywords: portable microscopy, smartphone microscope, adhesive lenses, macro photography, science education tools, STEM kits, citizen science, Italian Institute of Technology spin-off, DIPLE microscope, Blips lenses, micro-world exploration, optical hardware, crowdfunding success, educational technology, laboratory tools, mobile microscopy, Andrea Antonini, portable imaging, scientific instruments, digital microscope