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.
"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."
The LudusScope consists of a platform
for the microscope slide where the Euglena swim freely, surrounded by four
LEDs. Kids can influence the swimming direction of these light-responsive
microbes with a joystick that activates the LEDs.
Above the platform, a smartphone
holder positions the phone's camera over a microscope eyepiece, providing a
view of the cells below.
On the phone, children can run a
variety of software that overlay on top of the image of the cells. One looks
like the 1980s video game Pac-Man, with a maze containing small white dots.
Kids can select one cell to track, then use the LED lights to control which
direction the cell swims in an attempt to guide it around the maze and collect
the dots. Another game looks like a soccer stadium. Kids earn points by guiding
the Euglena through the goal posts.
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Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle