Foldscope is an optical microscope that can be assembled from simple components, including a sheet of paper and lens. It was developed by Manu Prakash and was designed to cost less than US $ 1 to build. It is part of the "science-saving" movement aimed at making cheap and readily available tools for scientific use in developing countries.
Video Foldscope
History
The basic principle of using a small ball lens held near the eye dates back to Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), who first saw a single-celled organism using lenses held in his own design device.
The Foldscope was developed by a team led by Manu Prakash, assistant professor of biotechnology at Stanford School of Medicine. The project is funded by several organizations including Bill & amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided a US $ 100,000 grant for research in November 2012.
The idea for making a cheap microscope came to Prakash in 2011 when he was at a field station in Thailand. He said that the station has a very expensive microscope but everyone is afraid of using it because it is fragile and more valuable than most people's salaries. He wanted to create an affordable microscope that was flexible enough and powerful to work in field conditions. He also wants to create a device that people feel has, which is part of the reason the Foldscope comes in the kit to be assembled. He developed the first prototype in 2014.
Maps Foldscope
Details
Foldscope is an optical microscope that can be assembled from hollow cardstock sheets, round glass lenses, light-emitting diodes and diffuser panels, along with battery watches that drive the LEDs. Once assembled, the Foldscope is about the size of a bookmark. Foldscope weighs 8 grams and comes with several lenses that provide magnification from 140X to 2,000X. This package also includes a magnet that can be attached to the Foldscope to attach it to a smartphone, allowing the user to take a zoom image. The power of enlargement is sufficient to allow the spotting of organisms such as Leishmania donovani and Escherichia coli , as well as malaria parasites. The foldscope can be printed on a standard A4 sheet of paper and assembled in seven minutes. Prakash claims that the Foldscope can survive in harsh conditions, including being thrown into the water or falling from a five-story building.
Following the first generation of simple Foldscopes, twelve Medical Foldscope diagnostic variants are being developed with each type specially designed to aid the identification of certain disease-causing organisms. Included with each Foldscope, images are provided from specific microbes to search for any particular disease variant. To allow multiple people to use them at once, each microscope can project images with an internal projector. Foldscopes are designed to be assembled by end users, and are therefore color-coded to assist assembly. Each unit costs less than a US dollar to build, with estimates varying from 50 cents to 97 cents.
Usage
Gordon and the Betty Moore Foundation funded the "Ten Thousand Microscopes" project in which Prakash plans to deliver 10,000 Foldscope devices to interested parties, including students for research. The projects eventually expanded to 50,000 Foldscope kits. Those who receive the kit are encouraged to share their experiences using a microscope on the website, Foldscope Explore, so the Prakash team can see how people can use the Foldscope. Examples of uses put forward by examiners include plant pathologists in Rwanda who use them to examine fungi on banana plants and Maasai children in Tanzania who use them to examine cow manure for parasites.
The goal of the project is not only to provide a microscope for those who do not have access to them but also to advance the general study of biomimicry. By encouraging thousands of volunteers to deliver their findings on the microorganisms they observed in their local environment, Prakash hopes to find more organisms that can provide clues about how to build new tools that harness the natural capabilities of these organisms.
In October 2015, the Department of Biotechnology of India announced a program to make Foldscopes available throughout India at 80 colleges and approved programs. It will be used as a teaching tool for students in biology, chemistry and physics. Following the pilot program, the Department hopes to work with Prakash to develop cheaper science tools. The foldscope set will also be produced and tested in Kenya and Uganda.
Although Foldscope has proven useful for a number of tasks, it is not currently adapted for use as a medical diagnostic tool. When tested for diagnosing schistosomiasis in Ghana, for example, it is not possible to prevent contamination of the urine sample because the Foldscope should be brought to a person's face for viewing. Jim Cybulski, a former graduate student of Prakash, is conducting research on the use of Foldscope for diagnostic testing and helps develop a medical Foldscope that will cost $ 10 and has a built-in projector that allows many people to see magnification.
References
Further reading
- Stanford Biotechnology develops a 50-cent paper microscope at Stanford Medicine [Scope Blog]
- Inventor Microscope Microscope displayed at TED Talk in Stanford Medicine [Scope Blog]
- Foldscope: Origami-based paper microscope, James Cybulski, James Clements, Manu Prakash, March 5, 2014, Cornell University Library.
External links
- Foldscope: print paper and folding paper fold Origami
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments