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{{short description|Miniature scanning electron microscope}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = Mochii
| image =
| caption =
| developer = Voxa
| type = [[Scanning electron microscope]]
| dimensions = {{Val|210|x|210|x|265|u=mm}}<ref name="M-specs">{{cite web |url=https://www.mymochii.com/specifications.html |title=Mochii Specifications: Inside mochii{{Snd}} technical specifications and details |website=Voxa |access-date=April 24, 2020 }}</ref>
| website = {{Official|www.mymochii.com}}
}}
'''Mochii''' is a miniature [[scanning electron microscope]] made by [[Seattle]]-based startup company Voxa. The Mochii has the same capabilities as a conventional [[Scanning electron microscope|SEM]], such as usage in [[materials science]] for research purposes, [[microchip]] and [[semiconductor]] quality control, and medicine.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.atascientific.com.au/sem-imaging-applications-practical-uses-scanning-electron-microscopes/ |title=The Applications and Practical Uses of Scanning Electron Microscopes |date=2019-08-02 |website=ATA Scientific |language=en-AU |access-date=2020-04-28 }}</ref> Mochii users are able to operate the microscope using an [[IOS]] app.
== History ==
Development of what ended up being the Mochii began in 2012.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2020/garage-space-station-voxas-mochii-electron-microscope-will-flying-high/ |title=From the garage to the space station: Voxa's Mochii electron microscope will be flying high |date=2020-02-07 |website=[[GeekWire]] |last1=Boyle |first1=Alan |language=en-US |access-date=2020-04-24 }}</ref> The goal of the Mochii was to take scanning electron microscopes, conventionally large, expensive, and unwieldy tools, and shrink them down in order to decrease cost and increase portability.<ref name=":0" />
In 2015, Voxa began collaborating with [[NASA]] who saw the potential of taking the Mochii to space.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/ng-13-research-highlights |title=New Research to ISS Aboard Northrop Grumman-13 |last=Johnson |first=Michael |date=2020-01-29 |website=[[NASA]] |access-date=2020-04-29 }}</ref> In the last few years, NASA has provided upwards of $450,000<ref name="SAM">{{Cite web |url=https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=mochii&sort=-relevance&index=&is_active=true&page=1 |title=Search |website=[[System for Award Management]] |access-date=2020-04-24 }}</ref> for the development of the Mochii. The Mochii had to confront issues unique to space-based operation such as "errant fluid behavior, residual gravity gradients, cosmic rays, and safety of flight".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pettit|first=Donald R.|date=August 3, 2015|title=Some Unexpected Difficulties in Microscope Operation in Microgravity|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/microscopy-and-microanalysis/article/some-unexpected-difficulties-in-microscope-operation-in-microgravity/FCE06DC1335A6E1D2F92532451CF5E83|journal=Microscopy and Microanalysis|language=en|volume=21|issue=S2|pages=42–43|doi=10.1017/S1431927615014579|bibcode=2015MiMic..21S..42P|s2cid=232396247 |issn=1431-9276}}</ref>
In 2018, the Mochii won the [[Microscopy Society of America|Microscopy Today]] Innovation Award, an industry award given for inventions that make microscopy more efficient and powerful.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |date=September 2018 |title=2018 Microscopy Today Innovation Awards |journal=Microscopy Today |language=en |volume=26 |issue=5 |pages=34–38 |doi=10.1017/S1551929518000822 |issn=1551-9295 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
In June 2019, the Mochii participated in the 23rd NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) mission.<ref name="NASA NEEMO">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/index.html |title=NEEMO{{Snd}} NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations |last=Loff |first=Sarah |date=2015-06-24 |website=[[NASA]] |access-date=2020-04-24 }}</ref>
On February 15, 2020, the Mochii launched on the [[Cygnus (spacecraft)|Cygnus]] [[cargo spacecraft]], headed to the [[International Space Station|ISS]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2020/third-times-charm-cygnus-cargo-ship-finally-gets-launched-space-station/ |title=Third time's the charm: Cygnus cargo ship finally gets launched to the space station |last1=Boyle |first1=Alan |date=2020-02-15 |website=GeekWire|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-02}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |url=https://www.space.com/antares-cygnus-cargo-ship-ng-13-launch-success.html |title=Northrop Grumman launches Cygnus cargo ship to space station for NASA |date=15 February 2020 |first1=Tariq |last1=Malik |website=[[Space.com]] |language=en |access-date=2020-04-03 }}</ref><ref name="NASA-20200215">{{Cite web |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/02/15/u-s-cygnus-cargo-ship-blasts-off-to-station-for-tuesday-delivery/ |title=U.S. Cygnus Cargo Ship Blasts Off to Station for Tuesday Delivery |last=Garcia |first=Mark |date=2020-02-15 |website=[[NASA]] }}</ref> Voxa's microscope is supposed to help with on-site imaging at the [[International Space Station|ISS]], this eliminates the need for sending the sample back down to Earth which has the issues of cost, time, and potential sample damage.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Own |first=Christopher S. |last2=Murfitt |first2=Matthew F. |last3=Own |first3=Lawrence S. |last4=Cushing |first4=Jesse |last5=Martinez |first5=James |last6=Thomas-Keprta |first6=Katherine |last7=Pettit |first7=Donald R. |date=March 2018 |title=Portable Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis in Extreme Environments |journal=Microscopy and Microanalysis |language=en |volume=23 |issue=S1 |pages=1082–1083 |doi=10.1017/S1431927617006079 |issn=1431-9276 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="NASA-20200215" /><ref name=":7" />
== Specifications ==
The Mochii measures {{Val|21|x|21|x|26.5|u=cm}} <ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mymochii.com/specifications.html|title=Specifications|website=www.mymochii.com|access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref> and weighs around 6 pounds.<ref name=":1" /> The [[Scanning electron microscope|SEM's]] stage measures {{Val|2|x|2|x|1.5|u=cm}}. The Mochii has a swap-able [[Optics|optical]] cartridge that eliminates the need for in-person servicing. The cartridge has a source potential of 10&nbsp;[[Kilovolt|kV]], a 5000x [[magnification]], a [[backscatter]] array [[detector]], and auto-calibration.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> The microscope is capable of [[Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy|EDS]],<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Own|first1=C. S.|last2=Thomas-Keprta|first2=K. T.|last3=Cushing|first3=J.|last4=DeRego|first4=T.|last5=Own|first5=L. S.|last6=Rahman|first6=Z.|last7=Martinez|first7=J.|last8=Pettit|first8=D. R.|date=July 20, 2018|title=Portable Electron Microscopy for Space: To ISS and Beyond|journal=LPI|language=en|issue=2083|pages=2756|bibcode=2018LPI....49.2756O}}</ref> a technique which analyzes the energy spectrum of a sample in order to find out the abundance of certain elements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/geochemsheets/eds.html|title=Energy-dispersive detector (EDS)|website=Geochemical Instrumentation and Analysis|language=en|access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref> The Mochii comes outfitted with an app that runs on [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] devices that run [[IOS]] 8 or higher.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Scientific equipment]]
[[Category:Microscopes]]
[[Category:Scanning probe microscopy]]