The darkfield software from darkfield.ch
darkfield.ch is darkfield software for Windows, built specifically for the daily practice of complementary practitioners. The app combines live microscope capture, structured patient management, pattern-assisted observation and collegial exchange in a locally-running program.
Feature overview
Patient management
Clients with base data, multiple sessions, chronological history. Fast search, secure notes, a privacy mode for shared rooms.
Live microscope capture
Connects any Windows-compatible USB microscope. Focus, exposure and colour profiles directly in the app; capture as single image or video.
Pattern recognition
The software suggests interesting regions. Each confirmation or correction improves recognition for your next session — entirely on your device.
Structured report
PDF report per session with screenshots, marked regions and free-text notes. Templates can be adapted.
Video export
Export darkfield video snippets as MP4 — for example for training or for exchange with colleagues (outside of the software).
Multilingual UI
German and English, switchable at any time. Microscope settings and patient data are stored language-independently.
Data sovereignty: local by design
The most important design decision: your patient data does not leave the machine. Technically this means:
-
All images, videos, findings and patient names live exclusively
in
%LOCALAPPDATA%\darkfield.ch\on your device. - The app works entirely without an internet connection. You can stay offline for months.
- Pattern recognition runs locally on a pretrained neural network (DINOv2 ViT-S/14) — no image upload, ever.
- Every session folder is directly accessible in the file system and can be backed up or encrypted with your usual tools.
Only when you actively take part in the community consensus do anonymous pattern descriptors leave your device — never images or names. That upload channel is encrypted and the server is hosted in Switzerland.
Security architecture
For IT-responsible readers: the software uses well-established, open cryptography. All components can be verified in open source:
| Building block | Purpose |
|---|---|
AES-256-GCM |
Optional password encryption of exchange files
(.dfe) before they leave the device.
|
Ed25519 |
Digital signatures on every community artefact delivered by us. The app rejects manipulated or unsigned files. |
SHA-256 |
Integrity check on all loaded resources; pseudonymisation of the operator ID from the licence key. |
SFTP / FTPS |
Key-based upload from practice machines to the Swiss infrastructure when you take part in the exchange. |
System requirements
- Operating system: Windows 10 (from version 1809) or Windows 11, 64-bit.
- Memory: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended.
- Disk: around 500 MB for the app plus storage for your recordings.
- Microscope: any darkfield microscope with a UVC-compatible USB camera.
- Internet: only for software updates and optional community exchange — not for daily work.
Installation and onboarding
Download the installer
Grab the MSIX installer from darkfield.ch/en/download. Signed by „lightnet multimedia gmbh".
Enable sideloading
Once in Windows settings under For developers → Sideloading, then launch the MSIX.
Connect microscope
Plug in the USB cable, choose the camera in the app — Windows recognises most UVC microscopes out of the box.
What the software does not do
As important as the feature set: the boundaries clearly drawn. darkfield.ch does not produce medical diagnoses, no laboratory findings, no therapy suggestions. It provides tools for an observing, documenting way of working — the professional interpretation stays with you. That boundary is the reason the software can be used in a legally sound way in Switzerland.
Development and warranty
darkfield.ch is a product of lightnet multimedia gmbh in Switzerland. Development takes place locally; support and updates are served from a Swiss host. No third-country dependencies for daily use.
For enterprise deployments, DPA agreements or custom support contracts: info@darkfield.ch.
Try the software
Free, no registration, no credit card. Download the installer and try the darkfield software in your practice.