Am leading a session at re:publica Accra from 14-15 December, 2018 in Ghana. The purpose of my session is to introduce the open hardware movement to Africans and showcasing the power it has in redefining how we conduct research in Africa and how it can be used in solving critical socio-economic challenges like youth unemployment.
The session is a purely practical one. Am therefore, calling on everyone in the GOSH community who can support me with this project by either sharing with me a very simple to do project to enable me demonstrate the power of making our own open science hardware in Africa for biotech and education.
I’ve developed basic lab equipment with recycled electronic trash mixed with digital fabrication.
I believe they are suitable for a workshop or practical session since they’re quite simple to do and low-cost.
This is one of the designs: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3226440
If you are interested in knowing more, I can send you more information to your email, greetings!
Hello @jptincopa, thanks for reaching out. This is certainly useful. I will be glad to start a conversation with you. Am going to have some first designs and am certainly going to consider building the micro-centrifuge.
sorry to stick my nose where I wasn’t called, but I would like to ask, if possible, for you NOT to take the conversation to emails or private messages! This way more people can follow up and contribute!
nhi @Hail_Harry and all others eager to build cool lab-gear from scraps and pieces, dumpster-divers and fabbers.
we have kinda documented a whole set of simple lab gear, such as shakers, mixers, spin-coaters, wigglers, made from all kinda left-over parts from computers and other recycled hardware. an overview is here: https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Generic_Lab_Equipment
talking about centrifuges, we experimented with various motors, i see above a computer fan. i guess we can reach higher speeds using harddiscs and a motordriver (which you can buy cheap from ali).
but then… a centrifuge ist more than a fast motor and a eppi-holder… it’s primarily a solid big lid!!! to protect you from stuff flying around (or into your brains). https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Hacked_Hard-disc_Centrifuge
the all time classic DIY microscope of course is also always a great start, especially if you focus on using locally available construction material and prototyping a decent stage for sample and focusing. webcams… usually not too easy to find in a trash, but relatively affordable on various online stores, approx 3-4USD.
I started a topic abour discussing / developing specific GOSH workshop modules, to share partially the skill to build a specific equipment, but more important some fundamental understanding of the “open” source approach, hacking methods, interdisciplinary colloaboration, fast-prototyping, creativity and critical thinking. not so much response yet…
@Hail_Harry This is great news. I’m glad the conversation about open hardware is ongoing in Ghana. There’s so much potential to make impact with open hardware in Ghana. I don’t think my project Actifield, https://github.com/trendinafrica/actifield will fit for a simple project. Check out this DIY fluorometer though https://github.com/diy-fluorometer/aolw2018-capetown. I hope we can collaborate on some projects in the near future.
That’s an incredible initiative — empowering local innovation through open hardware can truly transform biotech research and education across Africa.
For hands-on demos, you could start with simple, impactful builds like an open-source centrifuge, DIY spectrophotometer, or low-cost PCR machine — projects that are easy to replicate and directly useful for teaching and small labs.
It’s also inspiring to see how organizations like Ardigen are advancing biotech globally through AI and precision medicine — combining that kind of digital innovation with Africa’s growing maker movement could spark a whole new wave of accessible, homegrown biotech solutions.
I made a bunch of devices for bio. If you are interested you could contact me or get more info. Some of them are not fully documented but they work. They are used daily in my lab which is more than it could be said of many other projects found on the web.
Most are on github under AdrianMolecule but some are not there. I also maintain a web presence at https://ottawabioscience.github.io. That is also usually behind as I update it only when I have time.
