New 3D printed microscope lets kids
'play' microbiology
Send a link to a friend
[October 28, 2016]
By Ben Gruber
PALO ALTO (Reuters) - Playing classic video
games like Pac-Man with living single-celled microbes thinner than a
human hair is now possible thanks to an interactive microscope developed
by bioengineers at Stanford University.
After several prototypes, the researchers released blueprints earlier
this month for a "LudusScope" in the international scientific journal
PLOS ONE, offering kids of all ages a playful window into the world of
microbiology.
“It’s a microscope that you can 3D print and build yourself,” Ingmar
Riedel-Kruse, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford, told
Reuters.
After it is assembled, tiny, light-responsive organisms called Euglena
swim on a microscope slide surrounded by four LED lights. The lights are
controlled by a joystick, allowing users to control the direction in
which the microbes move.
“You turn microscopy from something that is purely observational into
something that is interactive,” Riedel-Kruse said.
The final component is a smartphone that attaches to the eyepiece of the
device, transforming it from a simple interactive microscope into a
rudimentary gaming platform and research tool.
The scientists at the Palo Alto-based university have developed software
programs that overlay on top of the image of cells. By selecting
specific cells, users can influence their movement and guide them
through a maze that resembles the 1980s video game Pac-Man. Kids can
also play soccer by steering their microbes through goal posts.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_090916.png)
The games, according to Riedel-Kruse, evolve into basic research.
“You can select a cell, track it and collect data about it that you
can then analyze and discuss," Riedel-Kruse said. "You can really do
simple research in educational settings.”
Using the plans publicly published, anyone can build a LudusScope
now, but Riedel-Kruse said assembly is complex.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/28/images/ads/current/graue_sda_june2015.png)
He plans to use recently awarded grant money to further develop the
microscope into a ready-to-use science kit that he hopes will be
commercially available in 2018.
(Reporting by Ben Gruber in Palo Alto; Editing by Melissa Fares and
Frances Kerry)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |