Inexpensive self-manufactured lab equipment for research, training and teaching

This is a 3-D model of FlyPi (left) and the assembled FlyPi with single micromanipulator and light-emitting diode-ring module, diffusor, and Petri dish adapter mounted in the bottom (right).
Credit: Tom Baden; CCAL

Tübingen neuroscientists develop inexpensive, self-manufactured lab equipment

Laboratory equipment is one of the largest cost factors in neuroscience. However, many experiments can be performed with good results using self-assembled setups involving 3-D printed components and self-programmed electronics. In a study publishing July 18 in the open access journal PLOS Biology, André Maia Chagas and Tom Baden from the Universities of Tübingen and Sussex present “FlyPi” — a low-cost imaging and microscope system for research, training and teaching.

The intricate equipment necessary for modern neuroscience experiments can easily cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of Euros when relying on commercially available solutions, confining top-level research and scientific training to well-endowed institutes in rich countries.

“FlyPi” can perform many standard lab protocols, including light and fluorescence microscopy, optogenetics, thermogenetics, and behavioural studies on small animals such as roundworms, fruit flies, zebrafish larvae. The design is based on a 3-D printed framework holding a Raspberry Pi computer and camera, cheap LEDs for lighting and simple lenses, as well as optical and thermal control circuits based on Arduino, an open-source microcontroller. Taken together, the components cost less than 100 Euros for the basic system, and can be modified to suit the lab’s purposes. The FlyPi system provides modular, low-cost options for research and assembly, and instructions for use are made available free of charge via open-source platforms.

The developers of the FlyPi system share a keen interest in spreading “open labware.” Together with co-author Lucia Prieto Godino of the University of Lausanne, the developers have taught courses in 3 D printing, programming and DIY lab equipment at universities in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania. “Many institutions around the world have little money to spend on costly equipment,” says Baden. “We think it is very important that neuroscientific training and research open up to larger numbers of students and junior scientists. So we hope that, with open labware such as our FlyPi, we can offer a starting point.”

Learn more: Getting Lab Equipment on the Cheap

The Latest on: Self-manufactured lab equipment

[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-manufactured lab equipment” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]

FDA finalizes rule to bring lab-developed tests into the regulatory fold
on April 29, 2024 at 8:14 am
The FDA has finalized its regulatory rule that aims to bring laboratory-developed tests more in-line with how the agency oversees other diagnostics. | At its heart, the 528-page final rule looks to ...
UTSA students conduct testing of self-made biomedical devices in cadaver lab
on April 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm
“We were very pleased with the outcome of the lab,” said Brian Kieser, CEO of Nvision Biomedical. “The students were fully engaged with their surgeon advisors, our engineers and each other. The ...
I’m a Self-Made Millionaire: These Are 7 Major Mistakes I Made And Learned From
on April 25, 2024 at 5:01 am
Self-made millionaire Kraig Kleeman, CEO of Z-Branding, likens starting a million-dollar business and building wealth to baking a cake; “except you’re the chef, the ingredients are unknown and ...
'Your personality will get you 10 times richer than your intelligence,' says self-made millionaire who retired at 35
on April 23, 2024 at 10:01 am
There is one thing, however, he says he wishes he knew in his 20s that could have made him wealthier, faster. "Your personality will get you 10 times richer than your intelligence," Adcock says.
Are lab-grown diamonds as sustainable as advertised?
on April 22, 2024 at 8:29 pm
The variation in the production of lab-grown diamonds is where the sustainability of the man-made product comes into question, according to Zimnisky, who notes, "Man-made diamonds require an ...
What's being made in the SHED
on April 18, 2024 at 11:41 pm
The SHED at RIT is full of makerspaces for making projects. See how students made a 3D-printed Jedi shuttle, a remote-controlled airplane, and more.
The automated lab of tomorrow
on April 18, 2024 at 12:51 am
In 1875, Thaddeus M. Stevens devised and described one of the first pieces of automated lab equipment—a sealed vessel with a controlled drip rate to wash filter papers ( 1 ). He’d likely be surprised ...
None of Forbes’ billionaires under 30 are self-made for first time in 15 years
on April 6, 2024 at 12:52 pm
Jam Press The statistic is partly due to past self-made billionaires aging into their ... has a minority stake in her late grandfather’s electrical equipment production company WEG.
I’m a Self-Made Millionaire: These Are the 6 Money-Saving Rules I Broke To Get Rich
on March 14, 2024 at 3:23 am
Self-made millionaires have a few things in common: patience, discipline, being methodical, having great ideas and sometimes turning them into great businesses. And some of them also broke some ...
M109 Paladin
on March 2, 2024 at 8:45 am
The widely used M109 carries a 155-mm howitzer and is the principal self-propelled artillery support ... driver and three ammunition members. The hull is made of all-welded aluminum armor, which ...