A team of Australian researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence in Nanoscale Biophotonics (CNBP) has developed, through 3D printing, a clip capable of turning any mobile device into a powerful microscope .
Complement is fully functional, able to visualize organisms up to 1/100 of a millimeter, including animal and plant cells, blood cells, cell nuclei, and more.
It is a unique and innovative technology as, in addition to offering high microscope performance in a rugged and mobile portable package, the clip does not require external power or a light source to operate .
” We have designed a simple mobile phone microscope that takes advantage of the integrated lighting available with almost all smartphone cameras, ” says CNBP lead developer and researcher Dr. Antony Orth.
This technology has immense potential as a scientific tool, ideal for use in remote areas and for field work where larger stand-alone microscopes are not available (or impractical). The application of this in areas with such characteristics can be essential for projects such as determining the quality of drinking water, analyzing blood samples for parasites or diagnosing diseases, including malaria . Therefore, developing countries would be one of the great beneficiaries of the implementation of the clip.
The new telephone microscope has already been tested by Dr. Orth and his colleagues at CNBP in different fields, successfully viewing samples ranging from cell culture, zooplankton, and live cattle semen in support of fertility testing of the livestock.
Top-of-the-line functionality
The inventive design has far overcome one of the problems seen with other microscopy-enabled mobile phone devices, as it has been traced with internally illuminated tunnels that guide the light from the camera’s flash to illuminate the sample from behind . In addition, its simple assembly, without the requirement for additional lighting optics, significantly reduces the cost and complexity of assembly.
“Almost all other phone-based microscopes use externally powered light sources, whereas there is perfectly good flare on the phone,” explains Orth. “External LEDs and power supplies can make these other systems surprisingly complex, bulky and difficult to assemble.”
The clip enables both brightfield and darkfield microscopy techniques . Brightfield microscopy is where a sample is viewed against a bright background. In contrast, the dark field shows the specimen illuminated on a dark background. According to Orth, “having both capabilities in such a small device is extremely beneficial and increases the range of activity with which the microscope can be used successfully.”
For scientists, access to this technology from any corner of the planet is essential. So anyone curious about turning their phone into a powerful microscope has a chance to get their wish fulfilled, for free . This is because the researchers are putting the technology used on their website, sharing the 3D print files publicly to ensure their free access.
Reference : A. Orth. A dual-mode mobile phone microscope using the onboard camera flash and ambient light, Scientific Reports (2018). DOI: 10.1038 / s41598-018-21543-2
