Capture
Observe transparent biological samples where regular imaging can miss subtle optical effects.
Compact Schlieren Optical Device
Shortening the path from discovery to patient access.
Matota Technologies, Inc. is developing the CSOD, a compact schlieren optical instrument designed to help researchers observe biological responses and make drug-development decisions faster.
Portable
Designed beyond the optical table
~1 µm
Transparent sample sensitivity
Bio
Thin films, tissue slices, cells
Sample
The CSOD makes subtle optical effects visible in transparent biological samples.
Based on compact schlieren optics described by Yimeng Tong and Jay X. Tang, the CSOD is being positioned as a practical observation tool for drug-development workflows.
Company Mission
Drug development is complex. Avoidable delay should not be part of the system.
Every inefficiency in the research workflow compounds the time patients wait for effective therapies. Matota Technologies develops tools designed to make experimental observation more efficient, so promising therapies can move forward with greater speed and confidence.
Mission
Shorten the path between scientific discovery and patient access.
Workflow delay compounds
Observe biological response
Compare samples clearly
Reduce observation uncertainty
Where the CSOD Fits
From invisible response to faster experimental decision-making.
The CSOD is being developed for the moments when researchers need clearer observation of subtle biological and transparent-sample behavior without slowing the workflow.
Compare
Evaluate sample patterns across conditions, controls, and candidate compounds with clearer visual boundaries.
Decide
Support faster experimental calls by reducing avoidable uncertainty in the observation step.
Advance
Help strong candidates move forward sooner, bringing medical progress closer to patients.
Scientific Instrument
A compact schlieren optics device for imaging biological samples.
Conventional schlieren systems often require large optical-table setups. The CSOD is based on a compact geometry using a concave mirror, camera, point-light source, and slight reflected-image shift to make subtle density-gradient and transparent-sample patterns easier to see.
- Designed to detect variation in thickness or index of refraction in transparent media.
- Portable and user-friendly, positioned as a cheaper complement to phase-contrast microscopy for large samples.
- Suitable for thin fluid films, tissue slices, human cell culture plates, and other transparent biological samples.
Optical principle
- 01
A point-light source and camera sit near the spherical origin of a concave mirror.
- 02
The sample is placed between mirror and camera, revealing density gradients or refractive-index variation.
- 03
A slight shift in two overlapping virtual images enhances image boundaries for subtle transparent effects.
Applications
Built for biological samples where conventional imaging can miss what matters.
Cell response observation
Support visual assessment of human cells grown on tissue culture plates and other transparent sample systems.
Transparent media sensitivity
Detect patterns in transparent media, including films on the order of micrometers.
Large-sample imaging
A compact complement for biological imaging cases where portability and sample size matter.
Source Publication
A Compact Schlieren Optics Device for Imaging Biological Samples
Bio Protoc. 2026 Jan 5;16(1):e5546. Authors: Yimeng Tong and Jay X. Tang. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5546. PMID: 41523106.
Collaborate with Matota
Help shape the CSOD for faster drug-development workflows.
Matota is looking to connect with research teams, biotech builders, and drug-development partners who are working where subtle biological observation can accelerate better decisions.
- Drug-development teams
- Biological research labs
- Pilot and collaboration partners