Title: sWSI: A Low-cost and Commercial-quality Whole Slide Imaging System on Android and iOS Smartphones,
Abstract: In this paper, scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI), a novel high-throughput,
cost-effective and robust whole slide imaging system on both Android and iOS
platforms is introduced and analyzed. With sWSI, most mainstream smartphone
connected to a optical eyepiece of any manually controlled microscope can be
automatically controlled to capture sequences of mega-pixel fields of views
that are synthesized into giga-pixel virtual slides. Remote servers carry out
the majority of computation asynchronously to support clients running at
satisfying frame rates without sacrificing image quality nor robustness. A
typical 15x15mm sample can be digitized in 30 seconds with 4X or in 3 minutes
with 10X object magnification, costing under $1. The virtual slide quality is
considered comparable to existing high-end scanners thus satisfying for
clinical usage by surveyed pathologies. The scan procedure with features such
as supporting magnification up to 100x, recoding z-stacks,
specimen-type-neutral and giving real-time feedback, is deemed
work-flow-friendly and reliable.