When you do your daily work as a medical histopathologist interested in 3D printing and programming, what will you get?You will get a fully mature open source microscope, especially Portable, upgradeable, modular and economical (Or PUMA), that’s it. This is not a toy microscope. By combining off-the-shelf electronics, a pound or two of filaments, and a handful of high-quality optical components that are available almost anywhere, PUMA is likely to create one of the best open source microscope experiences we have ever tasted.
GitHub users [TadPath] Working as a medical pathologist and knowing exactly what a great instrument is one or two things, so we are really happy to see this delicious project laid out in such a complete way. Many times, we checked a high-profile project, but found a bunch of STL files and some special parts that are difficult to obtain. But not here. This is deliberately designed and can be built by almost anyone with access to a 3D printer and eBay account.
The project has not yet been certified for medical diagnostic purposes, but it may only be a matter of money and time. The value of education and research (especially in developing countries) cannot be overemphasized.
Modularity allows a variety of configurations, from simple ambient light illumination, a single objective lens (very suitable for use in the field without electricity), to the trinocular setting with a TFT-based spatial light modulator, which can achieve such as schlieren contrast, etc. Advanced methods (for example, it allows visualization of fluid flow within living cells) and head-up displays for measurements from samples. Add PUMA to a combination specially designed to be quickly and easily broken down in the field, which helps busy researchers on the stick while on the go.
The GitHub repository contains all the details you need to build your own configuration and appropriate add-ons, including CAD files (FreeCAD source code, so you can remix it to what you want) and details for sourcing parts Bill of materials.
We have introduced fluorescence microscopy before, and many other microscopy-related stories over the years, because it is simple, microscopy is a very important topic. Hell, this humble scribe has a binocular and a trinocular microscope on the bench next to him, which he doesn’t even think is unusual. If you crave a range that is easy to crack, expandable, and cost-effective, then this may be exactly what you are looking for.
thanks [linus] For a delicious tip!