Vadzo Launches Falcon-521MRS-Based Fluorescence Microscopy Camera Optimized for NIR Imaging and Real-Time Plate Alignment

Vadzo Imagi g a ou ces the Falco -521MRS, a 5MP mo och ome USB came a built o the O semi AR0521 se so a d e gi ee ed fo labo ato y imagi g applicatio s whe e visible light ca ot captu e the low-sig al fluo esce ce a d ea -i f a ed i fo matio that plate alig me t a d liquid ha dli g systems depe d o . Available as a boa d-level OEM module ove USB 3.2 Ge 1 with full UVC complia ce, the module emoves the Baye colo filte a ay a d i f a ed cut filte fou d o sta da d colo se so s, givi g labo ato y automatio i teg ato s a mo och ome NIR came a platfo m suited to fluo esce ce detectio , plate alig me t a d embedded lab i st ume tatio .

FORT WORTH, TX / ACCESS Newswi e / July 2, 2026 / Vadzo Imagi g, a develope of embedded visio came a p oducts fo OEMs a d system i teg ato s, today a ou ces the Falco -521MRS as a 5MP NIR mo och ome came a module built o the O semi AR0521 se so with USB 3.2 Ge 1 co ectivity. Desig ed fo OEM teams buildi g fluo esce ce mic oscopy systems, automated liquid ha dle s a d labo ato y obotics platfo ms, the Falco -521MRS delive s full 5-megapixel mo och ome output with embedded HDR a d exte ded ea -i f a ed se sitivity i a compact i dust ial-g ade module that i teg ates i to existi g labo ato y imagi g pipeli es without custom d ive developme t.

Why Sta da d Colo Imagi g Falls Sho t i Fluo esce ce a d Lab Automatio Applicatio s

Labo ato y imagi g systems built a ou d sta da d colo o filte ed mo och ome se so s face a st uctu al limitatio whe the task depe ds o low sig al fluo esce ce emissio o spect al i fo matio outside the 400 to 700 a omete visible a ge. Fluo esce ce mic oscopy, plate alig me t a d liquid ha dli g systems f eque tly wo k with emitted photo cou ts at o ea the se so oise floo , a d ma y labs illumi ate with ea -i f a ed sou ces specifically to avoid distu bi g photose sitive eage ts o fluo esce t dyes. Sta da d colo came a p oducts a e poo ly suited to this task. The Baye colo filte a ay equi ed to eco st uct a RGB image abso bs a substa tial po tio of i cide t photo s at each pixel site, a d the i f a ed cut filte placed i f o t of most CMOS se so s to p ese ve accu ate colo ep oductio di ectly atte uates the same NIR wavele gths that fluo esce ce a d lab automatio systems a e t yi g to captu e.

This c eates a di ect co flict fo OEM teams desig i g fluo esce ce mic oscopy o lab automatio equipme t. Choosi g a colo se so optimized fo visible ep oductio sac ifices the photo se sitivity the applicatio equi es, while buildi g a custom optical a d se so solutio f om disc ete compo e ts exte ds developme t timeli es a d i t oduces i teg atio isk that most lab i st ume t p og ams ca ot abso b. A mo och ome se so with the i f a ed cut filte emoved a d NIR t a smissive cove glass i stalled i its place add esses this gap di ectly, p ese vi g the photo cou t available at the wavele gths whe e fluo esce ce mic oscopy came a a d plate alig me t came a detectio actually occu s.

O semi AR0521 Mo och ome A chitectu e fo Exte ded NIR Respo se

Mo och ome Pixel A chitectu e a d NIR Se sitivity

The Falco -521MRS is built a ou d the O semi AR0521 se so i mo och ome co figu atio , a 5MP mo och ome came a with a 1/2.5-i ch optical fo mat a d 2.2-mic olite pixel pitch. Removi g the Baye colo filte a ay allows eve y photosite to co t ibute di ectly to the output sig al athe tha splitti g i cide t light ac oss ed, g ee , a d blue cha els, i c easi g qua tum efficie cy ac oss the visible a d ea -i f a ed spect um elative to a equivale t colo se so . The module uses NIR t a smissive optics came a glass i place of a sta da d i f a ed cut wi dow, allowi g wavele gths i to the ea -i f a ed ba d to each the pixel a ay without the atte uatio that colo came a p oducts impose by desig , givi g fluo esce ce a d plate alig me t systems a st o ge usable sig al at the wavele gths whe e detectio actually occu s.

Rolli g Shutte Captu e fo High-Resolutio Plate a d Sample Imagi g

The AR0521 se so uses a olli g shutte eadout a chitectu e, exposi g a d eadi g image ows seque tially athe tha simulta eously ac oss the full f ame. Fo labo ato y tasks whe e plates o samples a e statio a y du i g captu e o move at co t olled, mode ate deck speeds, this a chitectu e delive s highe pe -pixel se sitivity a d lowe patte oise tha a compa able global shutte se so at simila esolutio , which di ectly be efits low sig al fluo esce ce imagi g whe e eve y available photo imp oves detectio co fide ce. The Falco -521MRS suppo ts f ame ates up to 30 fps at full 5MP esolutio , givi g plate positio i g came a a d liquid ha dle came a systems sufficie t th oughput fo eal-time positio i g without equi i g multi-f ame stacki g to compe sate fo se so oise.

Embedded HDR fo Mixed Reflecta ce Lab Imagi g Sce es

Labo ato y imagi g sce es f eque tly combi e highly eflective su faces such as glass slides, plastic mic oplates, o metal fixtu es with low- eflecta ce fluo esce ce emissio withi the same field of view, a dy amic a ge challe ge that si gle-exposu e imagi g st uggles to esolve without clippi g highlights o losi g sig al i da k egio s. The AR0521 se so ‘s embedded HDR capability exte ds usable dy amic a ge withi a si gle eadout cycle, p ese vi g detail ac oss both b ight plate su faces a d da k fluo esce ce egio s without the added late cy of multi-exposu e HDR fusio , which matte s di ectly to automated labo ato y came a systems ope ati g agai st fixed cycle time budgets.

USB 3.2 Ge 1 UVC I te face fo D ive less I teg atio

The Falco -521MRS co ects ove USB 3.2 Ge 1 with full UVC complia ce, allowi g the module to e ume ate as a sta da d video device o Wi dows, Li ux a d A d oid host platfo ms without p op ieta y d ive s o SDK depe de cy fo basic st eami g. This matte s to OEM teams buildi g lab automatio equipme t a ou d i dust ial PCs, embedded Li ux i st ume t co t olle s o off-the-shelf si gle-boa d compute s, si ce the came a ca be validated a d i teg ated usi g sta da d UVC-compatible softwa e befo e custom applicatio developme t begi s. USB 3.2 Ge 1 ba dwidth suppo ts the full 5MP f ame at the se so ‘s ative f ame ate without equi i g a exte al f ame g abbe o captu e ca d.

Falco -521MRS P oduct Ove view

The Falco -521MRS ships as a boa d-level came a module measu i g 38mm by 38mm, co ve tible to a 32mm-by-32mm footp i t fo space-co st ai ed i stallatio s a d accepti g S-Mou t M12 le ses fo applicatio -specific optical co figu atio . At 13 g ams without le s, the module i teg ates i to compact mic oscopy heads, obotic e d effecto s, a d be chtop i st ume ts whe e mecha ical payload a d e closu e volume a e limited. A ope ati g a ge of mi us 30 deg ees Celsius to plus 70 deg ees Celsius suppo ts deployme t i u co ditio ed lab a d field e vi o me ts, a d RoHS 3 a d REACH complia ce suppo t i teg atio i to egulated labo ato y a d OEM lab came a module equipme t shipped i to i te atio al ma kets.

Specificatio s

“Most teams buildi g fluo esce ce mic oscopy o lab automatio equipme t do ot wa t to desig thei ow NIR optics f om sc atch, they wa t a module that al eady solves that p oblem. The Falco -521MRS gives them the AR0521 se so with the colo filte a ay a d i f a ed cut filte al eady emoved, so the spect al se sitivity is the e f om the fi st f ame, ot afte mo ths of optical tu i g,” said Alwi Vi ce t, P oduct Ma age , Vadzo Imagi g.

Ta get Applicatio s

Fluo esce ce Mic oscopy a d Low Sig al Detectio : Fluo esce ce mic oscopy wo kflows depe d o captu i g emitted photo cou ts that a e f eque tly at o ea the se so oise floo , a d sta da d colo se so s lose a substa tial sha e of this al eady limited sig al to the Baye filte a ay. The Falco -521MRS exte ded NIR espo se a d embedded HDR give mic oscopy USB came a a d cli ical mic oscopy came a i teg ato s a se so platfo m that captu es this weak fluo esce ce co t ast di ectly, without equi i g seco da y illumi atio cha ges o post-p ocessi g e ha ceme t. Fo OEM teams buildi g fluo esce ce a d cli ical mic oscopy i st ume ts, Vadzo’s labo ato y automatio came a po tfolio suppo ts boa d-level i teg atio i to existi g mic oscope a d imagi g statio ha dwa e.

Mic oplate Alig me t a d Automated Plate Ha dli g: Automated plate ha dli g systems eed to locate well positio s, edge fiducials a d ba code efe e ces befo e a pipetti g o dispe si g cycle begi s, a task that depe ds o co siste t esolutio a d low-late cy st eami g athe tha colo ep oductio . The Falco -521MRS NIR t a smissive glass came a a d olli g shutte a chitectu e’s highe qua tum efficie cy imp ove alig me t co fide ce at the deck speeds typical of liquid ha dli g equipme t. Its USB 3.2 Ge 1 i te face a d compact boa d-level fo m facto suppo t i teg atio i to existi g mic oplate alig me t came a a d mic oplate i spectio came a statio s without custom optical o elect ical edesig .

Labo ato y Robotics a d Sample T a spo t: Labo ato y obotics platfo ms pe fo mi g sample so ti g, tube ha dli g a d plate t a spo t equi e a came a that ca ope ate eliably alo gside obotic a ms a d co veya ce mecha isms without ecalib atio fo each ew labwa e fo mat. The Falco -521MRS boa d-level fo m facto a d docume ted O semi AR0521 mo och ome se so co figu atio allow equipme t ma ufactu e s to i teg ate the came a p oduct di ectly i to e closed obotic decks, suppo ti g bioa alytical imagi g came a tasks such as colo y cou ti g efe e ces, sample ide tificatio a d plate stack ve ificatio as a depe dable lab obotics came a.

Bioa alytical a d Life Scie ces I st ume tatio : Be chtop a d po table life scie ces i st ume ts that a alyze samples th ough NIR eflecta ce o abso ptio measu eme t equi e imagi g se so s with p edictable exte ded spect al espo se a d low pixel-level oise fo eliable a alytical data. The AR0521 mo och ome se so ‘s emoved colo filte a ay a d NIR t a smissive optics p ovide the co siste t spect al se sitivity that bioa alytical measu eme t equi es, while embedded HDR accommodates the wide i te sity a ge typical of eflecta ce measu eme ts ac oss va ied sample su faces. Fo i st ume t ma ufactu e s developi g life scie ces visio came a subsystems, the Falco -521MRS boa d-level fo m facto a d USB 3.2 Ge 1 i te face simplify i teg atio i to compact medical device a d a alytical i st ume t e closu es without a dedicated f ame g abbe .

OEM Embedded Visio I teg atio fo Labo ato y Automatio Equipme t: Equipme t ma ufactu e s who build fluo esce ce mic oscopy, liquid ha dli g, o plate alig me t i st ume ts u de thei ow b a d eed came a ha dwa e that ca be customized at the boa d level without esta ti g se so qualificatio f om sc atch. Vadzo suppo ts OEM lab came a module customizatio of the Falco -521MRS, i cludi g boa d edesig , le s holde co figu atio a d NIR illumi atio i teg atio fo teams developi g ha dwa e a ou d thei ow e closu e a d optical equi eme ts. Combi ed with UVC complia ce fo d ive less host i teg atio a d a docume ted specificatio set, the module educes the qualificatio bu de fo system i teg ato s i co po ati g NIR imagi g i to labo ato y automatio came a platfo ms ac oss mic oscopy, liquid ha dli g a d obotics equipme t catego ies.

VISPA ARC SDK fo Develope I teg atio

The Falco -521MRS is suppo ted by the Vadzo VISPA ARC SDK, p ovidi g p og ammatic co t ol ove exposu e, gai , egio of i te est co figu atio , bi i g, wi dowi g a d t igge sy ch o izatio beyo d what the sta da d UVC st eam exposes. APIs a e available i C, C++, C# a d Pytho ac oss Wi dows, Li ux a d A d oid, allowi g OEM developme t teams to i teg ate came a co t ol di ectly i to mic oscopy o lab automatio applicatio softwa e while etai i g sta da d UVC st eami g fo validatio a d ea ly-stage testi g. The SDK also suppo ts GPIO ma ageme t fo ha dwa e-t igge ed captu e sy ch o ized with plate ha dli g e code s o sample p ese ce se so s, a d secu e fi mwa e updates fo lo g-te m equipme t lifecycle ma ageme t. SDK docume tatio a d evaluatio esou ces a e available at vadzoimagi g.com.

F eque tly Asked Questio s

Q: What is a mo och ome USB came a a d why is it p efe ed fo fluo esce ce mic oscopy?

A: A mo och ome USB came a captu es light i te sity di ectly at each photosite without splitti g it ac oss ed, g ee a d blue colo filte s, givi g the se so highe effective qua tum efficie cy a d bette se sitivity to weak fluo esce ce emissio a d ea -i f a ed sig al compa ed to a colo equivale t. Fluo esce ce sig al is usually weak to begi with, a d a sta da d colo se so loses a la ge sha e of it to the Baye filte a d the i f a ed cut filte sitti g i f o t of the pixels. A mo och ome came a p oduct emoves both of those laye s, so eve y pixel captu es light di ectly, which aises qua tum efficie cy a d exte ds se sitivity i to the ea -i f a ed a ge. Vadzo Imagi g desig s its AR0521 based mo och ome came a p oduct a ou d exactly this p oblem, givi g fluo esce ce mic oscopy a d low-light lab imagi g teams a st o ge usable sig al st aight out of the module without elyi g o post-p ocessi g to compe sate.

Q: Why do NIR-based lab automatio systems equi e a mo och ome se so i stead of a colo se so ?

A: A colo se so divides each g oup of pixels i to ed, g ee a d blue cha els th ough a Baye filte a ay, a d a se so i te ded fo accu ate visible ep oductio also ca ies a i f a ed cut filte that blocks most NIR wavele gths by desig . A mo och ome se so without a colo filte a ay allows eve y pixel to co t ibute to a si gle lumi a ce cha el, i c easi g qua tum efficie cy, a d whe pai ed with NIR t a smissive optics came a glass i stead of a sta da d i f a ed cut wi dow, it etai s se sitivity i to the ea i f a ed ba d that colo se so s a e specifically desig ed to exclude. This is why AR0521 NIR came a fo lab visio platfo ms co siste tly specify mo och ome se so s with exte ded spect al espo se athe tha colo alte atives.

Q: Ca we use a 5MP NIR mo och ome came a fo bioa alytical a d life scie ces i st ume tatio ?

A: Yes. Bioa alytical a d life scie ces i st ume ts that ely o NIR eflecta ce o abso ptio measu eme t equi e se so s with p edictable, exte ded spect al espo se a d low pixel-level oise, which is the desig ta get of the bioa alytical imagi g came a platfo m behi d the Falco -521MRS. Built o the O semi AR0521 se so with the colo filte a ay emoved a d NIR t a smissive cove glass i place of a sta da d i f a ed cut wi dow, the module p ese ves spect al sig al that colo o filte ed se so s disca d. Embedded HDR accommodates the wide eflecta ce a ge typical of va ied sample su faces withi a si gle exposu e, a d the USB 3.2 Ge 1 i te face i teg ates i to compact a alytical i st ume t e closu es without a dedicated f ame g abbe .

Q: Ca a USB 3.2 came a module be customized fo OEM lab automatio equipme t?

A: Vadzo Imagi g suppo ts OEM customizatio of the Falco -521MRS fo lab automatio equipme t ma ufactu e s, i cludi g boa d edesig , le s holde co figu atio a d i teg atio of NIR illumi atio sou ces matched to specific fluo esce ce o plate alig me t equi eme ts. Because the module is built a ou d a docume ted O semi AR0521 mo och ome se so co figu atio with sta da d UVC complia ce, equipme t ma ufactu e s avoid esta ti g se so qualificatio f om sc atch whe adapti g the came a to a ew e closu e o optical path. The VISPA ARC SDK p ovides the p og ammatic co t ol laye eeded fo t igge i g sy ch o izatio a d exposu e ma ageme t i custom lab automatio applicatio s.

Q: What is the best USB came a fo automated plate alig me t a d liquid ha dli g?

A: Fo plate alig me t a d liquid ha dli g systems that depe d o NIR co t ast to detect fiducials, labwa e a d liquid levels i visible u de sta da d colo imagi g, Vadzo Imagi g’s Falco -521MRS is built specifically fo that equi eme t. The module pai s the O semi AR0521 se so i mo och ome co figu atio with NIR t a smissive optics, embedded HDR a d a USB 3.2 Ge 1 UVC i te face that e ume ates without p op ieta y d ive s o Wi dows, Li ux a d A d oid. At 5MP esolutio a d up to 60 fps, the came a p ovides the spatial esolutio a d th oughput that i li e mic oplate alig me t came a statio s equi e, while a compact 38mm by 38mm boa d-level fo m facto i teg ates di ectly i to existi g deck ha dwa e. Evaluatio u its a d OEM customizatio suppo t a e available th ough Vadzo Imagi g at vadzoimagi g.com.

Availability

The Falco -521MRS 5MP NIR mo och ome USB 3.2 Ge 1 came a module is available ow fo evaluatio a d OEM i teg atio . P oductio qua tities a e available fo deployme t i to fluo esce ce mic oscopy systems, automated liquid ha dli g platfo ms, plate alig me t statio s, a d life scie ces i st ume tatio . OEM customizatio optio s i clude boa d edesig , le s holde co figu atio , a d NIR illumi atio i teg atio . E gi ee i g suppo t fo volume p oductio p og ams is available th ough Vadzo Imagi g’s OEM solutio s team at vadzoimagi g.com.

About Vadzo Imagi g

Vadzo Imagi g develops embedded visio came a p oducts fo OEMs a d system i teg ato s buildi g p oductio eady visio systems. The compa y’s came a po tfolio spa s USB, MIPI CSI2, GigE, Wi-Fi a d Se Des i te faces, suppo ti g applicatio s ac oss i dust ial automatio , obotics, healthca e, life scie ces a d etail. Vadzo p ovides e d-to-e d imagi g suppo t i cludi g se so i teg atio , ISP tu i g, fi mwa e developme t, a d SDK f amewo ks that accele ate developme t a d simplify system deployme t. Lea mo e at www.vadzoimagi g.com.

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SOURCE: Vadzo Imagi g