An automated microscope that will form the eyes of the SHUTTLE toolkit. It will acquire high quality images of microtraces that have been recovered using the developed tapes. The microscope will use a number of illumination modes for optimal discrimination and classification of microtraces. The microscope allows spectrometric colour analysis. The classification will be aided by advanced polarisation analysis. The required spatial resolution is moderate, but the total field of view is large, while acquisition time must be acceptable. The SHUTTLE microscope will be operated using clear and intuitive software. The software allows the definition of a standard analysis procedure. In addition, there is a feature for advanced users that allows data acquisition using non-standard parameters.