Automated Open-Hardware Multiwell Imaging Station for Microorganisms Observation

Abstract

Bright field microscopes are particularly useful tools for biologists for cell and tissue observation, phenotyping, cell counting, and so on. Direct cell observation provides a wealth of information on cells’ nature and physiological condition. Microscopic analyses are, however, time-consuming and usually not easy to parallelize. We describe the fabrication of a stand-alone microscope able to automatically collect samples with 3D printed pumps, and capture images at up to 50× optical magnification with a digital camera at a good throughput (up to 24 different samples can be collected and scanned in less than 10 min). Furthermore, the proposed device can store and analyze pictures using computer vision algorithms running on a low power integrated single board computer. Our device can perform a large set of tasks, with minimal human intervention, that no single commercially available machine can perform. The proposed open-hardware device has a modular design and can be freely reproduced at a very competitive price with the use of widely documented and user-friendly components such as Arduino, Raspberry pi, and 3D printers.

Entomoscope: An Open-Source Photomicroscope for Biodiversity Discovery

“…Other than that, digital cameras with macro lenses are used in custom setups [16]- [18], or microscopes are equipped with cameras. In other fields, different designs for low-cost open-source and Do It Yourself (DIY) microscopes for different applications have already been developed [19]- [23]. For example, DIY microscopes were proposed for the specific detection of C. elegans nematodes -a widely distributed model organism in developmental biology and genetics [20] or for fluorescence microscopy of 3D cell cultures [21].…”

“…For example, DIY microscopes were proposed for the specific detection of C. elegans nematodes -a widely distributed model organism in developmental biology and genetics [20] or for fluorescence microscopy of 3D cell cultures [21]. Other open-source microscopes have been designed for automated observation of bacterial cultures [22], [23]. However, it is noticeable that the majority of open-source microscopes developed are compound microscopes while dissecting microscopes have received little attention to date [24]- [26].…”

Editorial for the Special Issue on 3D Printed Actuators

“…The research findings reported in the 3D-Printed Actuators Special Issue show promising approaches for engineering biology-like actuation. These findings have led to the following: the creation of an anatomically correct robotic hand with human-like grasping capabilities [ 1 ]; emulation of an antagonistic variable stiffness actuation observed in the musculoskeletal system of snakes [ 2 ]; reducing friction in rotating parts and joints by combining 3D printing and radiation pressure [ 3 ]; fabrication of flexible piezoelectric composite actuators without application of any adhesives [ 4 ]; extension of the service life of actuators through geometric and material optimization [ 5 ]; and acceleration of print inspection through an open-source low-power computer-vision hardware [ 6 ].…”