11

LENS

be used as an effective microscope by screwing the
objective lens all the way out and aligning the optics to
bring nearby objects into focus on the CCD chip. “We
stumbled across this when using the camera system in
an attempt to film some fruit flies in the lab, so we just
integrated the feature into our microscope design,”
says Tom.
And although the FlyPi doesn’t match the image
clarity of most commercial microscopes, it definitely
outperforms its rivals in regards to flexibility. “If you
want to, you can point the camera at a tree, zoom
out, and do a time-lapse over several days. Or, you
can zoom all the way in, point it at a blood smear, and
count macrophages,” Tom explains. When coupled
with coloured sheets of plastic commonly used for
theatre lighting, the system also allows for some forms
of fluorescence microscopy, which can be used for
tasks such as spotting parasites in tissue samples, or
identifying different types of white blood cells.
To survey to what extent the FlyPi may be beneficial
in a classroom scenario, Tom and André ran a series
of multi-day workshops at universities in sub-Saharan
Africa. In one workshop, 3D-printed parts, custom
PCBs, and off-the-shelf electronics were provided to
students that were then guided through the entire
process of assembly and installation. Although these

students had no previous experience with electronics

or soldering, all of them were able to successfully

assemble a working FlyPi. Assembling, using, and

maintaining Open Science Hardware like the FlyPi

can help students and citizen scientists expand their

confidence, ideally inspiring them to build and modify

other pieces of equipment themselves, which in a

teaching scenario, as Tom quite rightly points out, is

perhaps the most significant benefit of all.

CITIZEN SCIENCE!

The current version of the FlyPi only scratches

the surface of possible applications, and a recent

community-driven modification to the 3D-printed

frame repositioned the camera and focus motor

below a closed stage, resulting in a substantially more

robust design, which is far better suited to classroom

teaching. Other community-driven modifications

include a version where all the 3D-printed parts have

been replaced by LEGO bricks, as well as several forks

geared towards optimising the code, 3D models, and

expanding the electronic control circuits to include

additional modules.

Tom and André have also set up a centralised

public repository for anyone to access their Open

Science Hardware projects: Open-Labware.net. This

repository includes the Openspritzer, an open-source

‘Picospritzer’ that reportedly performs just as well as

four-figure commercial models, and the Spikeling, a

low-cost hardware implementation of a spiking neuron

for neuroscience teaching and outreach. “We think

it is very important that neuroscientific training and

research is opened up to larger numbers of students

and junior scientists around the world,” says Tom.

Above

A 3D-printed FlyPi with motorised focus

PEERING BACK IN TIME

Historians have long disputed the inventor of the

microscope. In the late 16th century, several Dutch

spectacle makers designed devices for magnifying objects,

with Hans Lippershey most famous for filing the first patent

for a telescope. However, it wasn’t until 1609 that Italian

polymath Galileo Galilei perfected the first device we

recognise today as the microscope.

Below

Photograph of a

bipolar cell taken

using the FlyPi

Above

The 3D-printed FlyPi

designed by Prof.

Tom Baden and

André Maia Chagas