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Modern TEM experiments do not produce just images. They produce experimental events: images, timestamps, microscope conditions, holder state, temperature, bias, current, gas flow, pressure, liquid conditions, sample notes, and system history. Colibri Open Data Platform is Hummingbird Scientific’s approach to preserving that experimental context.
Colibri is not a closed software ecosystem. It is not a replacement for the microscope operating system. It is not an attempt to own the customer’s analysis workflow.
Colibri is an open data layer for in-situ TEM. It helps collect holder and controller metadata, align that metadata with image timing, support basic experiment logging, and export structured records that can move into OEM software, open-source tools, institutional databases, Python workflows, cloud storage, or future AI systems.
Hummingbird connects the experiment.
The customer owns the workflow.
Closed software platforms often make the same promise: one interface, one workflow, one ecosystem. But in practice, that can turn software into a hardware sales strategy. The software becomes the gateway, the gateway favors the vendor’s hardware, and the customer becomes dependent on one company’s roadmap.
Colibri is built around a different idea.
The microscope should remain the center of the microscope workflow. OEM software environments should be respected. Open-source tools should remain available. Facility data systems should remain in control. Researchers should be able to decide how they analyze, store, share, and reuse their data.
Colibri’s role is intentionally focused:
AI-ready microscopy requires more than pixels. It requires context.
A TEM image without temperature, bias, gas flow, pressure, liquid condition, microscope state, sample history, and timing information is incomplete. It may be visually useful, but it is harder to search, reproduce, compare, mine, or use for future AI workflows.
Colibri makes the in-situ experiment more complete by preserving the data around the image.
That is the difference between a file and an experiment record.
Colibri is Hummingbird Scientific’s open data approach for modern in-situ TEM.
Hummingbird Control Software™ for In-Situ TEM & SEM Experiments
Take full control of your in-situ electron microscopy workflows with Hummingbird Control Software™, a suite of purpose-built tools designed for advanced TEM, STEM, SEM, and X-ray applications. From gas and liquid environments to heating, biasing, nanomanipulation, and double-tilt control, these application-specific solutions help researchers precisely manage experimental conditions, monitor performance in real time, and capture high-quality, repeatable data. Whether you are working in catalysis, energy materials, semiconductors, or nanoscale device research, Hummingbird software streamlines complex setups into intuitive workflows. Learn more on the Hummingbird Control Software™ home page:
Explore the full range of Hummingbird Control Software™ tools to find the right solution for your holder, experiment, and microscope platform:
Hummingbird Connect™ Integration Platform for In-Situ Microscopy
Hummingbird Connect™ is a connectivity platform designed to unify advanced in-situ electron microscopy workflows by bridging Hummingbird Scientific hardware, microscope systems, experimental controls, and laboratory software environments. Built to support TEM, STEM, SEM, and X-ray applications, it provides a flexible framework for integrating holders, gas and liquid systems, heating and biasing platforms, and data acquisition tools into cohesive, application-specific workflows. Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, Hummingbird Connect™ enables customized integration strategies based on your microscope, experiment, and research goals.
Explore how Hummingbird Connect™ can connect your instruments, streamline workflows, and unlock new possibilities for advanced microscopy experiments.
Capture, organize, and export your in-situ TEM and STEM experiment data with flexible, open data management tools built for modern electron microscopy workflows. The Colibri Platform™ records structured experiment data across temperature, gas and liquid environments, electrical biasing, motion, and timing, enabling researchers to align control conditions with imaging data and integrate results into external analysis tools and pipelines. With support for exportable formats and scalable workflows, this approach helps researchers preserve metadata, enable reproducibility, and build custom analysis environments.
Explore how open data management can give you full control over your microscopy workflows and research data.
Discover how Hummingbird Scientific is redefining electron microscopy through software-driven automation, AI-ready workflows, and fully integrated instrumentation ecosystems. Our software platforms connect TEM systems, detectors, positioning hardware, and data environments into unified workflows that enable automated experiment planning, autonomous data acquisition, and real-time analysis. Built on open APIs and interoperable architectures, these tools support Python-based automation, AI integration, and scalable data pipelines across advanced research environments. From semiconductor metrology and 4D-STEM to large-scale, high-throughput experiments, our approach helps researchers improve measurement reliability, increase efficiency, and build future-ready microscopy workflows.
Explore how software automation can transform your microscopy workflow and unlock the next generation of scientific discovery.
Explore the open-source ecosystem powering modern electron microscopy, including open-source TEM software, 4D-STEM analysis tools, and Python-based microscopy workflows.
Our Open-Source TEM Software Library helps you discover widely used platforms for data analysis, acquisition, automation, and spectroscopy across TEM, STEM, and cryo-EM research.
Our Open Source TEM Software Communities Guide connects you with the research groups and developer ecosystems behind tools like HyperSpy, LiberTEM, and py4DSTEM, along with broader scientific Python, Jupyter, and instrument control communities.
Whether you are building custom workflows or exploring AI-driven analysis, browse the software library and explore key communities to accelerate your microscopy research.
Explore key publications in TEM automation, 4D-STEM, tomography, and AI-driven microscopy. This curated collection highlights advances in data acquisition, analysis workflows, and open-source software shaping modern electron microscopy.
Browse publications to stay current and accelerate your microscopy research.
Share your software requirements, automation goals, and microscopy workflows to receive a customized quote and recommended control, integration, and analysis solutions.
