MicroscoPy - motorized, modular microscope built using LEGO bricks, Arduino, Raspberry Pi and 3D printed parts

General
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Check out MicrosPy, and open-source microscope from Yuksel Temiz at IBM’s Precision diagnostics group in Zurich.

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The project uses a mix of easy-to-source hardware components + Lego bricks and a small handful of custom 3D printed parts. There are several sub-modules that look like they could be useful on their own (e.g., linear actuators that can be built for < $10 using 28BYJ-48 stepper motors).

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The total BOM for the system is ~$300 (including a Raspberry pi + HDMI display) and it supports:

  • reflected or transmitted light mode
  • macro photography
  • cross-sectional imaging (e.g., contact angle measurements)

The project also has some of the most stunning documentation I have ever seen in an open-hardware project (and a nice looking video too!). There are definitely lots of options for DIY microscopy these days, but this project looks to fill unique niche and uses an unconventional design that might be useful for other types of projects. The features of this setup seem especially intriguing for anyone in the field of microfluidics, where the combination of macro- and micro-scale imaging could be really useful.

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This looks amazing!

Would you be open to cross-posting this on Public Lab as an activity?

I think there would definitely be people over there who would be interested in trying this out. The Lego design seems like a great “next step” along with the Openflexure models, for people who want more precision in terms of the stage.

The documentation for this is really incredible.

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I’m not affiliated with this project in any way (and I don’t know what’s involved with posting activities on Public Lab), but the design is open-source, so I’d say share widely!