Open Lab Instrumentation

Everyday gadgets contain an impressive range of technology; very high quality sensors, cameras, and microprocessors are now incredibly cheap - making it possible to build lab equipment very cheaply. Doing this would make a big difference in developing countries, as it enables better screening for diseases like malaria or TB, and makes it possible to study science in the lab as well as in theory. The biggest challenge with this approach is often mounting the different parts together: good quality mechanical mounts are very expensive. We will measure and develop micro-mechanical properties of printed plastic parts, and understand how the structure of the prints affects their strength and flexibility. This will allow us to improve the way parts are printed, and create stronger, better mechanisms using only low-cost plastic. Together with readily available parts, we will then design, build and test a number of optical lab instruments, including microscopes, spectrometers, and sample preparation equipment.

The 3D printers that are now found all over the world work by extruding plastic through a hot nozzle, and drawing shapes by moving the nozzle over a print bed. 3D objects can be made by stacking multiple layers on top of each other. This layer-by-layer approach means that the exact path taken by the nozzle as it prints the object strongly affects the mechanical properties of the part, and it is this effect that we particularly want to understand and control. Once we have fully understood the relationship between the path taken by the nozzle and the properties of the final part, we will be able to create much better toolpaths to make objects that are stronger, weaker, stiffer or more flexible - and to balance these properties as we need them in different parts of a design.

This new printing process will allow us to create parts that move very precisely, which is a crucial part of building precision instruments such as microscopes, spectrometers, and more. These instruments can be produced anywhere with a printer - including in many of the least developed countries in the world. Our partners in Tanzania will pilot this, and work with local clinics, universities and schools to explore how these better, cheaper instruments can help improve education and healthcare.

A new capacity for technological innovation in the developing world is the main impact of this project: while the instruments we develop will quickly find applications in healthcare and sanitation, the deeper and longer impact comes from the central role of STICLab, our Tanzanian partners, in this work. Through co-development with them of improved printing methods, we will both advance what current 3D printers are capable of and ensure that the skills and knowledge to use and continue this work are embedded in the developing countries that can benefit most from such innovation.

Better microscopes, and in particular ones that can be automated with high-quality translation stages and tracking of biological objects such as cells, have the capacity to greatly improve diagnosis of many conditions prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Malaria, Tuberculosis, and many other parasitic diseases. We will create microscope designs that can be produced in the countries where they are needed, using commodity parts and 3D printed frames. STICLab will co-develop these designs, and as a registered company in Tanzania are perfectly placed to supply them to clinics and hospitals, as well as universities and schools. 3D printing and other digital manufacturing technologies are spreading across the world - together with STICLab, we will document and learn from our experience of supplying instruments in Tanzania, developing ways that the model can be replicated at many "digital blacksmiths" in other ODA countries.

Low cost instrumentation is also key to our not-for-profit start-up WaterScope, which uses our early prototype microscope to detect bacteria in drinking water faster, more simply, and at lower cost than existing tests. Our higher-performance designs will enable them to use sample-scanning to detect bacteria the essential large sample areas, which is one of the current limiting factors for the test's efficiency. We will continue to support WaterScope's activities and to develop instrumentation that will help their new water test become reality.

Our instruments, while of high enough quality to be useful in research and medical laboratories, will also be able to be produced cheaply enough for use in schools and university teaching labs. A significant impact will be the provision of high quality equipment for education and outreach to the general public. We have already run workshops and given demonstrations to a wide range of ages and backgrounds; we will build on this to make microscopy accessible, and inspire the next generation of scientists. By making the instruments open, it becomes possible for students to automate, construct, and modify their equipment, building valuable practical skills that they can take into research or transfer to many other technical career paths.