Over time, innumerable valuable specimens have been lost or damaged in shipping. Waiting for types to be shipped has delayed manuscripts and critical identifications. Scientists who wish to collaborate or discuss characters on particular specimens must wait weeks or months to see first hand what the real thing looks like. Remote imaging using remote controlled microscopes provides a way around these problems and others by providing the ability to work with and communicate about specimens across continents in real time. The technology also offers the ability to generate expertly taken images that can populate databanks making it possible to keep one-of-a-kind specimens safely stored and provide a platform for teaching and communicating about science that has heretofore not been available. Recent advances and some real life examples will be explored.