Scientists have developed a new 3D-printed
smartphone microscope that allows users to control live microbes and play games
like Pac-Man with them. Many subjects like engineering or programming have toys
that get kids into it, but microbiology does not have that to the same degree. The
LudusScope consists of a platform for the micro-consists of a platform for the
microscope slide where Euglena – light responsive microbes – swim freely,
surrounded by four LEDs. Kids can influence the swimming direction of microbes
with a joystick that activates the LEDs. Above the platform a smartphone holder
positions the phone’s camera over a microscope eyepiece, providing a view of
the cells below. On the phone, children can run a variety of software that overlay
on top of the image of the cells.
