noskop

nøskop is an experimental, openly developed project aimed at making a computerized microscope controllable with a game controller, natively from the browser. How it works - The browser side relies on the WebHID API for DualSense controller support over USB or Bluetooth. - It uses the Web Serial API to communicate with a Marlin-style CNC device, i.e. the motion hardware that drives the microscope stage. Current status (as stated by the project) - A separate Node.js CLI tool lives under cli/ and provides basic movement controls together with DualSense integration. - The browser version is not yet integrated with the microscope, but there is a basic UI that includes DualSense and webcam integration. - Very few features are functional, and the project describes itself as not complete. - A hosted preview is available at noskop.com. Intent Rather than positioning itself as a finished laboratory tool, nøskop is framed as an attempt to make microscope operation more enjoyable and easier to use, ideally to the point where the instrument itself seems to disappear behind the interaction. The README cites two 19th-century microscopy manuals — Jabez Hogg's The Microscope: Its History, Construction, and Application (1854) and Lionel Smith Beale's How To Work With The Microscope (1857) — to support the idea that many microscope owners are put off by elementary mechanical details and handling difficulties. Practical notes for users and contributors - Because it depends on WebHID and Web Serial, it requires a browser that supports those APIs, plus compatible controller and CNC hardware. - The CLI component is the more usable part today; the browser application is best treated as an early prototype with a UI shell rather than a full control surface. - The repository is organized with the CLI kept separately from the browser code, reflecting the project's incremental approach to wiring control and imaging together.