Foldscope : Stanford-Based Indian-American Scientist's Low-Cost Paper Microscope

Stanford's Manu Prakash has developed a low-cost model of the traditional microscope entirely of paper. 'The Foldscope', as his paper microscope is called, comprises three stages- a specimen stage where the slide is placed, an optic stage where the ball lens is kept, and an illumination stage that holds an LED light. To view the sample, users shall have to hold the paper against their eyebrows, with eye close to the lens - just as we use the traditional microscope. User's thumb shall control the magnification and image panning, even the sliding required to view different areas of the image.

paper_microscope

Field tests have revealed many shortcomings with Foldscope - eye-strain, ergonomics and examining infectious samples so close to the body. Researchers are thus working on a different microscope that'll address these concerns. The specialized microscope will have a projection system that lets for magnified images to be projected against a screen/wall.

Foldscopes in the future shall be specifically designed for certain diseases - a correlating microscope especially for that disease. This will not only reduce prices, but will also bypass the tedious optimisation process observed with traditional multipurpose microscopes. Also, these microscopes could easily be pocketed then, claim the researchers.

Replies

  • micheal john
    micheal john
    Foldscope looks handy, but i have no idea where to place the speciemen😕

You are reading an archived discussion.

Related Posts

STREAMZ is the world's first smart headphone that features an in-built Wi-Fi Music Player. The headphones are capable of playing music stores on its onboard memory, through online services such...
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C24) along with the Regional Navigational Satellite (IRNSS-1B) from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota;...
why booting process is needed ?
John Ruskin said- "Men are not intended to work with the accuracy of tools, to be precise and perfect in all their actions". But men at National Institute of Standards...
The International Space Station has an emergency capsule that can take the astronauts back to Earth within hours in case of emergencies. However, the homeland won't be so easily &...