Foldscope, the Low-tech Paper microscopes that revolutionize healthcare
Foldscope, the paper microscope, is brilliant, yet very simple: a low-tech innovation that proves hyper-sophistication is no needed to change the world
Low-tech inventions have been of incalculable importance to human development: from the wheel to basic mechanical components like screws and wedges, le list is long and exciting.
Microscopes, for instance, are one of the many invaluable tools to medical professionals needed to diagnose any one of the many infectious diseases around the world. But most traditional ones are not very practical in the field. They are heavy, expensive and require a lot of maintenance over their lifetimes.
But, there is a new form of paper microscope that has been developed. Also called “Foldscopes”, they contain all the basic elements of a microscope on one foldable piece of paper. They can even be optimized for different diseases and cost less than a buck each. Paper microscopes could revolutionize healthcare in remote parts of the world.
The Invention of “Foldscope”
Foldscope is a microscope that contain the basic elements of a microscope on a foldable piece of paper. It was invented by Manu Prakash and Jim Cybulski, while Jim was a PhD student in Manu’s laboratory at Stanford University.
Inspiration
The inspiration for the Foldscope came from visits to field stations where they continually encountered bulky, broken microscopes, or a lack of microscopes entirely. As traditional microscopes are often expensive or cumbersome, they realized the universal scale of this problem and the need for a low-cost, revolutionary solution.
“What is the best microscope you can build for under $1 in parts?” This question motivated their work. In the early days of the project, ideas for the low-cost microscope were sketched down on paper. These sketches struck a chord. Although the sketching on paper was initially simply practical– it also alluded to a critical revelation in the search for a low cost medium: paper!
The project blossomed into the invention of the Foldscope, the foldable microscope made mostly of paper, that to this day still achieves the goal of being less than one U.S. dollar in parts.
Advantages and impact
Affordability and scalability are the core values of Foldscope
Paper is a brilliant and versatile material, as it is not only very inexpensive, but also gives rise to precision when it is folded into specific configurations. The revolutionary affordability of microscopy provided by the Foldscope inspired the pair to get their tool into as many hands as possible…
Wanna know more about it? It’s in the video:
The publication
The technology behind the Foldscope was first published in June 2014 in PLoS ONE. Read the publication to delve into the specifics of how Foldscope functions and the work that went into its development.
The Pilot Program
Foldscope’s pilot program began in 2014 with support from the Moore Foundation, Stanford University’s Spectrum Medtech and the Coulter Foundation. The pilot program alone distributed over 70,000 Foldscopes to 135+ countries. Much of this work was carried out by volunteers and at no cost to the recipient. In exchange for the Foldscopes, the inventors only asked that recipients contribute their findings to their budding online community, the Microcosmos.
Once the global distribution of Foldscopes began to swell, an astonishing diversity of applications were (and continue to be) revealed. For example, Foldscopes were used to identify the microscopic eggs of agricultural pests in India, to catalog the biodiversity of soil arthropods in the Amazon, detect fake currency and medicine, follow toxic blooms, detect bacteria in water samples, map pollen diversity in a city landscape, among thousands of other things.
Foldscope Instruments, Inc.
In December 2015, Foldscope Instruments, Inc. was founded. The company was founded with the goal of scaling up production and eventually releasing other low-cost scientific tools. To date, over 1.7 million Foldscopes have been distributed. Supported now by the company’s sales and many partners, it aim to distribute millions more.
In regard to the user base, it is believed that the most important part of Foldscope is not the tools themselves, but the communities that use them. Especially now as they surpass one million users, thr community spans many countries, ages, and levels of scientific background. Within the Microcosmos, Foldscope users connect, share their data & observations, ideas, and problems. It is a place to collaborate, find inspiration, and learn from fellow explorers. Through grassroots mentoring, it aim to create a network of curious members dedicated to exploration, open sharing, and equality of access of scientific tools around the world.
In 2022, Foldscope was awarded the Golden Goose Award, a prize organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, to highlight ideas that start modestly but become breakthrough inventions.
The year 2023 was big for Foldscope as we garnered two grants, released the new Foldscope Mini and Foldscope 2.0 and reached 2,000,000 in distributed microscopes.
Looking to the future, at Foldscope Inc. it is believed that access to science, and science education, is a human right. What’s better than a world where every child carries a microscope in their pocket?
sources: Foldscope I Interesting Engineering
cover image: Foldscope
author: Barbara Marcotulli
Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition has been committed since its very first editions to make innovation accessible and usable to all, with the aim of not leaving anyone behind. Its blog is always updated and full of opportunities and inspiration for makers, makers, startups, SMEs and all the curious ones who wish to enrich their knowledge and expand their business, in Italy and abroad.
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