A penny thousandfold microscope

A microscope for a smartphone worth less than a dollar

AIRAny smartphone owner will soon be able to get a personal microscope thanks to a very inexpensive addition to the mobile device, which was developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of Energy USA (PNNL).

The device consists of a 3D-printed plastic clip containing a small glass ball. Such glass spheres are easy to purchase online, they cost about one cent apiece and are widely used in reflective marking of runways at airports.

The PNNL microscope is very compact (the clip is no thicker than the phone case), but at the same time it is able to magnify objects up to 1000 times – enough to see such dangerous things as anthrax spores, for example. For those cases where lower magnifications are preferable, the laboratory has released 350- and 100-fold versions. A 350-fold magnification will be enough to detect parasites in blood samples or microbes in water, and a 100-fold microscope is designed for educational purposes and can be used in schools.

The total cost of a set for creating a microscope consisting of one sphere and plastic is less than a dollar. The laboratory has posted files for the 3D printer and links to sources where you can buy glass beads, freely available (PNNL Smartphone Microscope – VM). Although the device works particularly well with the iPhone, it is reported that it can also be used with most other smartphones of various brands and models. Since the microscope is so cheap, it can be simply discarded after contact with dangerous substances.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru23.09.2014