VISUAL SERVOING FOR ONLINE FACILITIES

Scientists who want to share microscopes over the Internet need system s that can provide the exact look and feel available to the local oper ator and that can hide unpredictable network delays. Providing the loo k and feel is achieved through the user interface. Hiding network late ncy is achieved through visual servoing. Visual servoing for online fa cilities interprets a visual scene and then automatically manipulates an instrument on the basis of control parameters. The authors' approac h revolves around a set of visual routines implemented in a client-ser ver architecture. The applications are two labor-intensive experiments : the microdissection of DNA molecules and in-situ examination of crys tal formation. Microdissection and subsequent amplification of DNA mol ecules allow for rapid closure of gaps in the genomic library. In-situ experiments reveal information about the thermal and morphological pr operties of crystal structures. The authors demonstrate that intellige nt visual interpretation and the use of this information for control c an compensate for the Internet's latency and make it possible for many scientists to share scarce resources. Here, the result is easier use of an electron microscope, a centralized and complicated instrument.