A new 3-D printed, easily assembled smartphone microscope developed at Stanford University turns microbiology into game time. The device allows kids to play games or make more serious observations with miniature light-seeking microbes called Euglena.
An easily assembled smartphone microscope developed at Stanford allows people to study the light-seeking microbes called Euglena.
“Many subject areas like engineering or programming have neat toys that get kids into it, but microbiology does not have that to the same degree,” said Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, an assistant professor of bioengineering. “The initial idea for this project was to play games with living cells on your phone. And then it developed much beyond that to enable self-driven inquiry, measurement and building your own instrument.”
Riedel-Kruse named his device the LudusScope after the Latin word “Ludus,” which means “play,” “game” or “elementary school.” He and first author Honesty Kim, a graduate student in Riedel-Kruse’s lab, are set to publish details of the LudusScope in PLOS ONE on Oct. 5.