AI in a Drop of Water: Automated Water Quality Monitoring with Holographic Microscopy.

Continuous monitoring of water quality is an increasing challenge, from drinking-water networks and industrial processes to the surveillance of surface waters and wastewater. The talk shows how the Holodetect microscope system makes the automatic, real-time examination of microscopic particles, algae, microorganisms and other contaminants possible. Combining digital holographic imaging with artificial intelligence not only allows fast and objective evaluation of samples, but takes water monitoring to a new level: with trainable AI models the system can recognise and classify arbitrary object types. Through practical examples the talk shows how AI turns laboratory microscopy into a decision-support tool for industry and the environment, and what this opens up for the intelligent water management of the future.