Treffer: Raspberry Pi multispectral imaging camera system (PiMICS): A low-cost, skills-based physics educational tool.

Here, we report on a skills-building 3D-printable, Raspberry Pi-based multispectral camera (15–25 spectral channels in the visible and near-IR) for as little as $150–$300. The cameras rely on measuring the reflectance spectra of various objects using both active and passive illumination. The cameras were used in a successful pilot program designed such that students could learn 3D modeling, 3D printing, feedback, control, image analysis, Python programming, systems integration, and machine learning, as well as spectroscopy. The students in the pilot program studied a wide array of target spectra upon completion of their cameras, showing their aid as valuable research tools. We believe this can be an important instructional tool in introductory or advanced STEM laboratory courses. Editor's Note: This paper describes an affordable Raspberry Pi-based camera system that students can build to perform multispectral imaging, an analysis tool relevant to many fields. The authors promote an open-ended approach to the design, construction, and use of the system, pointing to several possible multispectral imaging applications that students can undertake; a study of banana ripening is presented. This project originated in a course taught to students in developing countries, but its low-cost, undergraduate-accessible demonstration of an advanced imaging technique will be of interest to all advanced instructional laboratory professors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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