Digital 3-D printers, introduced in the 1980s, were initially relatively crude and suitable mostly for ‘rapid prototyping’. Today, 3-D printing, now often called ‘additive manufacturing’ is much more sophisticated and can manufacture sophisticated products at low costs; it has the potential to make it possible to manufacture scientific and medical instruments anywhere. A Bath-based charity, the Humanitarian Technology Trust, exists to transfer this much-needed technology to developing countries.
The OpenFlexure Project is developing microscopes primarily to transform cancer and malaria diagnosis in remote and challenging places. These instruments can also be used as educational and environmental monitoring tools. All custom components are 3D printed, so that the microscope can be rapidly assembled with a few readily available screws, lenses, and electronic components. It’s easy to see that the wide dissemination of 3-D printing technology has the potential to kick-start many development projects.
This is a talk for everyone about a microscope that can be made anywhere and used anywhere, from the Antarctic sea ice and the Amazon rainforest to wartime Ukraine. Literally, this is science for everyone.
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