The Mimscope: Low-cost Imaging System for Microfluidic Devices

Microfluidics is a technology characterized by the engineered manipulation of fluids at the submillimetre scale, and is used widely in research and industry to conduct experiments and perform functions that would be difficult or impossible without such a high level of control. Currently the equipment surrounding engineering microfluidic devices are so expensive that access to this technology is difficult outside of a well-funded lab. Our focus is on reducing the barrier to entry of using and building microfluidic technology both in lab and in applications, by re-engineering the microscopes currently used with microfluidic devices each of which can cost upwards of $20,000 each. The aim of this project is to develop a simple, portable, low cost microscope for microfluidic devices that we call the mimscope; “modular interchangeable microfluidic-device scope.” After conducting extensive background research, we designed  a system composed of a single spherical lens, an aperture, an image sensor, and a raspberry pi computer. We created detailed drawings, a 3D model, and built a prototype of our microscope. We plan to  test our final product on a microfluidic device currently used in biological research.