RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Robotic microscopy for everyone: the OpenFlexure Microscope
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 861856
DO 10.1101/861856
A1 Joel T. Collins
A1 Joe Knapper
A1 Julian Stirling
A1 Joram Mduda
A1 Catherine Mkindi
A1 Valeriana Mayagaya
A1 Grace A. Mwakajinga
A1 Paul T. Nyakyi
A1 Valerian L. Sanga
A1 Dave Carbery
A1 Leah White
A1 Sara Dale
A1 Zhen Jieh Lim
A1 Jeremy J. Baumberg
A1 Pietro Cicuta
A1 Samuel McDermott
A1 Boyko Vodenicharski
A1 Richard Bowman
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/12/03/861856.abstract
AB Optical microscopes are an essential tool for both the detection of disease in clinics, and for scientific analysis. However, in much of the world access to high-performance microscopy is limited by both the upfront cost and maintenance cost of the equipment. Here we present an open-source, 3D-printed, and fully-automated laboratory microscope, with motorised sample positioning and focus control. The microscope is highly customisable, with a number of options readily available including trans- and epi-illumination, polarisation contrast imaging, and epi-florescence imaging. The OpenFlexure Microscope has been designed to enable low-volume manufacturing and maintenance by local personnel, vastly increasing accessibility. We have produced over 100 microscopes in Tanzania and Kenya for educational, scientific, and clinical applications, demonstrating that local manufacturing can be a viable alternative to international supply chains that can often be costly, slow, and unreliable.