Foldscope
| Foldscope (folding microscope) | |
|---|---|
| enlargement | 140 times |
| resolution | 2 μm |
| optics | spherical lens made of borosilicate glass with a diameter of 2.38 mm |
| Weight | 15 g |
| compatible slides | DIN ISO 8037-1 |
A foldscope is a simple transmitted light microscope , which is particularly characterized by its low cost and the excellent resolution. For the first time it became known on the basis of its structure as origami - or paper microscope .
Background and development
The idea to develop an inexpensive microscope came to Manu Prakash in 2011 while doing field research in Thailand. He noticed that there was a very expensive microscope in a remote laboratory, but nobody dared to work with it, because the laboratory staff realized that the device had cost more than they would earn in five months. So he wanted to develop an affordable microscope that was versatile and robust enough to be used in field conditions. In addition, the microscope to be developed should convey the feeling that it belongs to the respective user, which is why Foldscopes are still supplied as a kit to this day.
In order to meet these requirements, he developed the first prototypes together with Jim Cybulski, which were presented to the general public in June 2012. In 2014, 60,000 refined foldscopes were sent to over 135 countries in a pilot program to be tested in practice by voluntary testers. The knowledge gained from this flowed into the further development of the foldscope design, which was to become available in an even larger style. Since December 2015, the company Foldscope Instruments, Inc., which was founded especially for this purpose, has been producing and distributing them. It produces foldscopes on an industrial scale with material costs of less than € 1 and manufacturing costs of less than € 2. According to the forecast, 1,000,000 foldscopes will be produced and shipped by mid-2019.
Foldscope Instruments, Inc. is supported by local partner companies who are familiar with the local conditions and are responsible for selling the folding microscopes in their respective home countries.
Functionality and properties
optics
The look of a foldscope is based on the concept that Antonie van Leeuwenhoek used in his microscopes . A spherical glass bead is used as the lens, which is subject to the same functional principle as a magnifying glass . In purely mathematical terms, a magnification of up to 2000 times can be achieved. However, this value is of no practical relevance, as it would lead to resolutions that are not possible with light microscopes due to physical limits . The currently available foldscopes have a 140x magnification and a resolution of 2 μm. They use a borosilicate glass lens with a diameter of 2.38 mm.
mechanics
The mechanical structure for moving and focusing the specimen consists entirely of a coated material that can be processed like paper. The construction draws on functional principles from origami in order to bring the two-dimensional material into a three-dimensional form with the necessary precision. The choice of material makes Foldscopes unusually robust: These can withstand a fall from the third floor unscathed.
Fully assembled, a foldscope fits in a jacket pocket.
Extensions
With the help of so-called magnetic couplers, a foldscope can easily be connected to artificial light sources or cameras. With brighter light sources such as B. the lamps of classic smartphones , the foldscope view can also be projected onto a screen .
use
In addition to the originally intended use in research and for medical-diagnostic tests independent of the infrastructure, foldscopes are also used in school education. Due to the low costs, it is possible for schoolchildren to be provided with their own foldscopes or for schoolchildren to purchase the foldscopes themselves. This gives them the opportunity to use the microscope outside of class.
In Germany, the Junior-Uni Wuppertal is one of the first institutions to use foldscopes. From February 2020, she will be offering a course in which the participants can set up their own foldscopes and keep them after completing the course and take them home with them.
Sample recordings
The following images were taken with a foldscope:
Farnrhizome
Garlic cells
Cells of the skin of a tomato
Cells and nuclei of a red onion
Hair recorded with a foldscope
Bee wings captured by a foldscope
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ James S. Cybulski, James Clements, Manu Prakash: Foldscope: Origami-Based Paper Microscope . In: PLoS ONE . tape 9 , no. 6 , June 18, 2014, ISSN 1932-6203 , p. e98781 , doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0098781 , PMID 24940755 , PMC 4062392 (free full text) - ( plos.org [accessed November 29, 2019]).
- ^ A b Carolyn Kormann: A Microscope to Save the World . December 14, 2015, ISSN 0028-792X ( newyorker.com [accessed December 1, 2019]).
- ↑ a b Manu Prakash: A 50-cent microscope that folds like origami. Retrieved December 6, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d Our Story. In: foldscope.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Foldscope Store. Retrieved December 6, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Foldscope Distributors. Foldscope Instruments, Inc., accessed December 1, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ About jot: discover. jot: discover, accessed on December 6, 2019 (German).
- ↑ The $ 1 origami microscope. In: Technology Review - The magazine for innovation. heise online, March 26, 2014, accessed on December 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Magnify your curiousity. Foldscope Instruments, Inc., accessed December 6, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ FAQ. Foldscope Instruments, Inc., accessed December 7, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Christoph Seidler: Cheap device: Origami microscope amazes with 2000x magnification . In: Spiegel Online . June 19, 2014 ( spiegel.de [accessed December 6, 2019]).
- ↑ Michael Böddecker: Foldscope - microscope for the jacket pocket. In: Deutschlandfunk. December 21, 2016, accessed on December 6, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Jonas Otten: Translation of the official Foldscope instructions. jot: discover, accessed on December 7, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Course: On the move with the microscope - a journey of discovery in the microcosm. In: Junior University Wuppertal. Retrieved February 6, 2020 .