A low cost microscope prototype

One of the most widely used biological and medical instruments are the microscopes. Many new modalities have been developed by constant advancement in the field of microscopy, but their relative sizes and their complexity, and their costs often hinder the usefulness of these instruments in the wider general community and many field environments. In this research, we used a 3D printer and the smartphone camera to design and construct a microscopic prototype to create a relatively low-cost, solid structure and to get pictures that are economically viable and are necessary for recording, analysis, education, and publication to acquire and distribute digital photomicrographs. The two-dimensional program, computer-aided design (Auto CAD) and the three-dimensional program (3D MAX) for 3D printed parts have been used to model and print the necessary components for the microscope prototype. The optical elements include a smartphone camera, an eyepiece, and an objective lens. The use of a traditional eyepiece facilitates device two-way compatibility of smartphones and software with a conventional microscope. The prototype microscope examined several specimens of animal tissue such as skin, follicle hair, and connective tissue. The photos were really accurate, clear, and magnified enough to see the tiny details of the biological cells and tissues. The resulting magnification was comparable to 10x of conventional microscope.