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Utilizing Social Media and Video Games to Control #DIY Microscopes

Maxime Leblanc-Latour, Craig Bryan, View ORCID ProfileAndrew Pelling
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/053470
Maxime Leblanc-Latour
1Department of Physics, MacDonald Hall, 150 Louis Pasteur, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
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Craig Bryan
1Department of Physics, MacDonald Hall, 150 Louis Pasteur, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
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Andrew Pelling
1Department of Physics, MacDonald Hall, 150 Louis Pasteur, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
2Department of Biology, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
3Institute for Science, Society and Policy, Desmarais Building, 55 Laurier Ave. East, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
4SymbioticA, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009
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ABSTRACT

Open-source lab equipment is becoming more widespread with the popularization of fabrication tools such as 3d-printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, open source microcontrollers and open source software. Although many pieces of common laboratory equipment have been developed, software control of these items is sometimes lacking. Specifically, control software that can be easily implemented and enable user-input and control over multiple platforms (PC, smartphone, web, etc.). The aim of this proof-of-principle study was to develop and implement software for the control of a low-cost, 3d-printed microscope. Here, we present two approaches, which enable microscope control by exploiting the functionality of the social media platform Twitter or player actions inside of the videogame Minecraft. The microscope was constructed from a modified web-camera and implemented on a Raspberry Pi computer. Four aspects of microscope control were tested, including single image capture, focus control and time-lapse imaging. The Twitter-embodiment enabled users to send “tweets” directly to the microscope. Image data acquired by the microscope was then returned to the user through a Twitter reply and stored permanently on the photo-sharing platform Flickr, along with any relevant metadata. Local control of the microscope was also implemented by utilizing the video game Minecraft, in situations where Internet connectivity is not present or stable. A virtual laboratory was constructed inside the Minecraft world and player actions inside the laboratory were linked to specific microscope functions. Here, we present the methodology and results of these experiments and discuss possible limitations and future extensions of this work.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted May 15, 2016.
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Utilizing Social Media and Video Games to Control #DIY Microscopes
Maxime Leblanc-Latour, Craig Bryan, Andrew Pelling
bioRxiv 053470; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/053470
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Utilizing Social Media and Video Games to Control #DIY Microscopes
Maxime Leblanc-Latour, Craig Bryan, Andrew Pelling
bioRxiv 053470; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/053470

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