Smartphone-based low-cost microscope with monolithic focusing mechanism

Abstract

Microscopy enables fast and effective diagnostics. However, its functionality is not accessible to everyone. Smartphone-based low-cost microscopes could be a powerful tool for diagnostics and educational purposes. Current smartphone-based microscopy approaches struggle with high cost, poor image quality and/or insufficient smartphone compatibility. In this paper, a very feasible and effective lowcost microscope is presented which addresses these issues. To minimize cost, a monolithic foldable structure is designed for production by injection molding. The design has a high order of functional integration, minimizing the number of components, while still enabling a micrometer focusing accuracy.

Diagnostic Capabilities of a Smartphone- Based Low-Cost Microscope

“…The digital magnification allows to zoom in without steps which enables the diagnosis of diseases requiring a hierarchy of magnifications. Compared to a conventional microscope the costs are remarkably low with manufacturing costs under 10 € [4] and low-cost storage and shipping due to the compact size and light weight. However, it should be noted that laboratory equipment for specimen preparation can create additional costs.…”

“…A smartphone-based microscope developed previously [4], is used to determine the potential applications. (Fig.…”

“…However, since the sensor of a smartphone has a higher number of pixels than its screen, the image can be digitally magnified if full resolution information is needed. In this work, a smartphone-based low-cost microscope with an inverted smartphone camera lens and a monolithic focusing mechanism is used [4]. It is crucial that the smartphone-based microscope achieves a high resolution to enable a wide range of diagnostic applications.…”

Compact Microscope Module for High- Throughput Microscopy

“…An example for an approach, focusing on a more balanced trade-off between costs and imaging capabilities, are smartphone-based microscopes. Utilizing the potent camera systems of modern smartphones for analytic purposes in combination with only few and low-cost additional components, already has led to promising results [1][2][3], not only in microscopy but also for other methods such as immunoassays [4]. Even though the mentioned low-cost microscopy approaches result in relatively good imaging qualities, they are mostly focused on a dedicated application, such as transmitted light microscopy of samples on a conventional specimen slide.…”

“…The optical principle described in [1] is used. Therefore, an inverted smartphone camera lens is combined with an off-theshelf camera module designed for use with a Raspberry Pi single-board computer (Raspberry Pi Foundation, UK).…”