VirtualLab (formerly The Virtual Microscope)

Scientific research uses advanced apparatus to discover the results initially aimed for, or new conclusions possibly even by mistake. One powerful tool is the microscope, used in multiple specialized domains of activity. In this regard, VirtualLab allows you to thoroughly analyze high-resolution images, with various related operations to perform.

The application comes with several advantages. One of the main ones is the possibility to use it on different platforms, since it completely relies on Java Runtime Environment in order to function. There’s a constantly updating online database with new pictures, and you don’t even have to bring up a web browser to grab them.

You’re first taken to the main window, where you can choose from your collection of specimens, or browse through the vast online gallery in a side panel. However, there’s a known issue which prevents some Windows versions from connecting to the sample database, and you might want to visit the official website to look for the issue workaround.

Regardless of the specimen you decide to load, the image is brought up in another window, taking up most of the space. There’s a side panel with various controls to zoom, move around, and add annotations to mark out important areas in your observations, which can also be saved to file.

However, there’s no actual standard set of tools, except for a few default sliders, and the annotation option. In other words, different specimens benefit from dedicated tools, such as chemical component analysis, with detail plotter and color highlighting, or depth viewing with the possibility to render a 3D display of a selected portion.

To sum it up, VirtualLab is a powerful application which can be used to take a closer look at everyday, or unusual objects found in a rich online library. Probably the feature which contributes the most to practicality is the variety of different tools found for particular types of analysis, like plotter, and 3D depth renderer.