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Paper Microscope


Soothing Shrimp

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We don't have an off topic area yet, so I had to post here.

 

I saw this today and thought it was really neat.  A $1 microscope has been invented that can magnify 2000x.  The hope is that it can be in hospitals all over the world.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/super-cheap-paper-microscope-could-save-millions-lives-133616732.html?vp=1

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that is pretty sweet!

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Saw this on Hackaday a few weeks ago.  It's a proof of concept, not being manufactured yet, so I'm not sure we could arrange a buy.

 

One detail the article omitted was that the lenses are from DVD drives.  Some of the most mass produced lenses in existence, so they're super cheap.  And can be scavenged from broken players/drives.

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May be no reason to get plans for it at all.  I just sent an e-mail off to the makers saying we are an aquatic community that would be interested in receiving and using these for determining disease in aquatics and selective breeding.

 

We'll see what kind of response we get back. :)

http://www.foldscope.com/#

 

It actually resists being stepped on and dropped in water!

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Cool, I'm curious to see how they reply.

 

I haven't seen plans released, and if they were, the paperwork might be too complex to reproduce exactly by hand.  They use a laser cutter.  But we're not limited to the same constraints, so there are other options available too.  An example:

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/10-Smartphone-to-digital-microscope-conversion/

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  • 2 weeks later...

"With support from Moore Foundation, we are currently starting a large scale experiment in hands-on science education called "Ten Thousand Microscope Project." We intend to enlist 10,000 individuals who would be willing to beta-test Foldscope over the summer and develop single page science experiments, protocols, queries, questions, applications based on using Foldscope in a specific community. We aim to collectively write a crowd-sourced biology microscopy manual with examples collected from scientists, teachers, tinkerers, thinkers, hackers, kids and alike."

 

http://www.foldscope.com/#/10ksignup/

 

Here's your chance. ;)

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Hey guys, I seen the microscope you have created and what an ingenious tool it is. How it can be used in many applications we tend to over look in day to day lives.

I am part of the aquatic community, we practice the art of aqua scaping, keeping and breeding fish and invertebrates. As well as diagnosing what types of algae, parasites, or illness falls in our tanks from time to time.

I would assume this falls under biblically curious, as we like to know exactly what is going on in our tanks on a macro scale and not just the whole picture, like most individuals do. To be able to see types of algae on a magnified horizon would be great in finding treatments as well as knowing what each individual structure is made of.

It would be a great honor if you guys would allow us as a community to test this new technology as well as contribute to your research and ours..

Oh yeah I went there alright. Haha although I wouldn't be the best to describe and write up a full on scientific theory and experiment for them. I just really wanna get my hands on this thing lol. I would probably end up sending it to dark or soothing or oblong.

Time for our community to shine??? I think so!!!!

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"With support from Moore Foundation, we are currently starting a large scale experiment in hands-on science education called "Ten Thousand Microscope Project." We intend to enlist 10,000 individuals who would be willing to beta-test Foldscope over the summer and develop single page science experiments, protocols, queries, questions, applications based on using Foldscope in a specific community. We aim to collectively write a crowd-sourced biology microscopy manual with examples collected from scientists, teachers, tinkerers, thinkers, hackers, kids and alike."

 

http://www.foldscope.com/#/10ksignup/

 

Here's your chance. ;)

 

Sent an e-mail there at the same time I sent the original one.  Still no reply.  I went with the angle of ornamental fish/shrimp can cost from inexpensive to thousands of dollars each, and intead of guessing illness, the scope would be able to allow accurate diagnoses.

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Just got a reply back today:

 

"Thank you for contacting the Prakash Lab about Foldscope.  We are thrilled that you have signed up for 10K microscope project with the goal for helping us write a crowd-sourced microscopy resource for bringing the passion for microscopy to everyone. We consider this as an incredible community and hope to learn from each other."

 

I had to fill out another form for beta testing, and they should contact me in a a few months.

 

The stipulation is that I include some photos for their manual of diseases in fish/shrimp.

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What's even more awesome is that I asked for 5.  If they decide they will fill that, I'll send them out to other members to try and send on to snap some pics of what they are able to find. :) 

 

We all have to help each other right?

 

Plus, it may help the shrimping hobby a bit more by giving a tad more publicity.

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