DiversityScanner-360°: An Automated System for Digitizing Invertebrate Bulk Samples

Digitization of natural history collections opens many opportunities for research. Some of the data and information stored in the physical collections are made accessible without the need to move fragile specimens. In addition, digi-tized specimens allow for automated analysis, for example, with machine learning methods. Despite the enormous advantage of digitization, most specimens in natural history collections (e.g., insects) remain undigitized. One of the reasons is that the existing techniques for digitization are very time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially for small objects such as invertebrates and in particular for small specimens less than three millimeters in size. They have to be imaged with high-resolution cameras from multiple angles to capture important morphological features. Therefore, we developed the DiversityScanner-360°, which allows for the automated imaging of invertebrates from multiple directions. These images can then be used for taxonomic work or as training data for machine learning applications. Multiple focal planes can be imaged and processed into one image to obtain in-focus images of the specimens. The number of perspectives and focal planes is set by the user and adapted to individual cases. In particular, the DiversityScanner-360° offers a new way for digitizing invertebrates preserved in ethanol, leading to new discoveries and a deeper understanding of the world's biodiversity.