Smartphone and 3D printing technology are merging to create a microscope that students can use to in

Smartphone and 3D printing technology are merging to create a microscope that students can use to interact with single-celled organisms. Introduced in the scientific journal PLOS ONE this month, the “LudusScope” could be utilized by classrooms for all grade levels.From Reuters:“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.By attaching a smartphone dock, students can connect their phones to the microscope, essentially using gaming technology as a form of education and research. Instead of simply observing micro-organisms, they can now interact with and study them on a whole new level.“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 learn more about the study, visit Reuters.com, or read the research article in PLOS ONE here. -- source link

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