Raspberry Pi multispectral imaging camera system (PiMICS): A low-cost, skills-based physics educational tool

  • John C. Howell*
  • , Brian Flores
  • , Juan Javier Naranjo
  • , Angel Mendez
  • , César Costa-Vera
  • , Chris Koumriqian
  • , Nathan Taormina
  • , Juliana Jordan
  • , Pieter H. Neethling
  • , Calvin Groenewald
  • , Michael A.C. Lovemore
  • , Patrick A.T. Kinsey
  • , Tjaart P.J. Krüger
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Editor's Note: This paper describes an affordable Raspberry Pi-based camera system that students can build to perform multispectral imaging, an analysis tool relevant to many fields. The authors promote an open-ended approach to the design, construction, and use of the system, pointing to several possible multispectral imaging applications that students can undertake; a study of banana ripening is presented. This project originated in a course taught to students in developing countries, but its low-cost, undergraduate-accessible demonstration of an advanced imaging technique will be of interest to all advanced instructional laboratory professors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)149-153
Number of pages5
JournalAmerican Journal of Physics
Volume94
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Author(s).

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