I have been testing out the OpenFlexure microscope I built, and the results are more than satisfactory…that's a live image up on the screen there.
This build was done using resources from the free, open-source OpenFlexure project. The microscope they have designed has several properties that make it particularly useful for Spirulina production:
- It is an inverted scope, which means you can just put a drop of your Spirulina culture on a slide and have a quick look at it, without having to bother with cover slides.
- It has a built-in XY stage, so you can systematically scan your samples. This motion can be manual or automated.
- Photography is built in, and the software can even stitch together images to make one comprehensive picture. This gives you a lot of options for documenting the state of your culture.
- The microscope can autofocus
- It is remarkably inexpensive, especially considering all the things it can do! The main expense, assuming you already have a computer, is the objective lens, which microscope nerds will know is what you want to invest in anyway, as it determines the clarity of your image.
It’s been a fun project, not too difficult (the OpenFlexure documentation is pretty good, and there’s an active community who will help you out with your builds), and very rewarding.
Would you all be interested in a workshop where we build these together? Message me at contact@algaelab.org, or post here!
In blue-green glory,
Dr. Baum
P.S. I’ll be offering a new workshop series on Spirulina farming soon. The first half-day workshop will be on 6/20, with a couple online meet-and-greets beforehand. Stay tuned!
