Students and researchers at the university of California , Riverside has created a Lego-like system of blocks that will enable the creation of customize-able science research equipment(Chemical and biological) efficiently. Thus the creation of equipment,faster, easily and at low cost.
The blocks, which are called Multifluidic Evolutionary Components (MECs) because of their flexibility and adaptability, are described today (July 20) in the journal PLOS ONE. Each block in the system performs a basic task found in a lab instrument, like pumping fluids, making measurements or interfacing with a user. Since the blocks are designed to work together, users can build apparatus—like bioreactors for making alternative fuels or acid-base titration tools for high school chemistry classes—rapidly and efficiently. The blocks are especially well suited for resource-limited settings, where a library of blocks could be used to create a variety of different research and diagnostic tools.
The project is led by Douglas Hill,
a graduate student working with William Grover, assistant professor of
bioengineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering. Before joining UCR's
Ph.D. program in Bioengineering, Hill worked for 20 years in the field of
electronics design, where he used electronic components that were designed to
work with each other. He was surprised to see there was no similar set of
components in the life sciences.
"When Doug came to UC
Riverside, he was a little shocked to find out that bioengineers build new
instruments from scratch," Grover said. "He's used to putting
together a few resistors and capacitors and making a new circuit in just a few
minutes. But building new tools for life science research can take months or
even years. Doug set out to change that."
Armed with a grant from the National
Science Foundation's Instrument Development for Biological Research program,
Hill and Grover began to develop their building blocks. They enlisted help from
UC Riverside undergraduates who have designed new blocks and built instruments
using the blocks. Thus far, more than 50 students from across the UCR campus
have participated, creating an extensive system of over 200 MEC blocks and a
system of schematics that guide assembly of the MEC building blocks into
finished instruments.
Grover said in addition to its
functionality and affordability, the MEC system offers students a unique
learning experience as they work together to create instruments one piece at a
time.
"This is a truly
interdisciplinary project—we've had computer science students write the code
that runs the blocks, bioengineering students culture cells using instruments
built from the blocks, and even art students design the graphical interface for
the software that controls the blocks," he said.
"Once the students have created
these instruments, they also understand how they work, they can 'hack' them to
make them better, and they can take them apart to create something else."
Grover and Hill are now planning to
pilot the MEC system in two California school districts, where it will support
recently introduced 'Next Generation Science Standards,' a multi-state
initiative to strengthen science education in K-12 schools.
"The Next Generation Science
Standards require that science teachers provide their students with engineering
experiences, but sometimes that's hard for teachers to do, especially in
biology and chemistry classes where they might not have the tools they need. By
using our blocks, the students can receive an engineering experience by
designing, building, and refining their instruments, and also a science
experience as they use their instruments to learn about biology and
chemistry," Grover said.
Hill said the team's long-term goal
is to make the MEC blocks available and affordable for others to use.
"As 3D printers become more
mainstream, we'll see them being used by schools and non-profits working in
underserved communities, so ultimately we would like people to be able to use
those printers to create their own MEC blocks and build the research and
educational tools they need," he said.
The blocks, which
are called Multifluidic Evolutionary Components (MECs) because of their
flexibility and adaptability, are described today (July 20) in the
journal PLOS ONE. Each block in the system performs a basic task
found in a lab instrument, like pumping fluids, making measurements or
interfacing with a user. Since the blocks are designed to work together,
users can build apparatus—like bioreactors for making alternative fuels
or acid-base titration tools for high school chemistry classes—rapidly
and efficiently. The blocks are especially well suited for
resource-limited settings, where a library of blocks could be used to
create a variety of different research and diagnostic tools.
The project is led by Douglas Hill, a graduate student working with William Grover, assistant professor of bioengineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering. Before joining UCR's Ph.D. program in Bioengineering, Hill worked for 20 years in the field of electronics design, where he used electronic components that were designed to work with each other. He was surprised to see there was no similar set of components in the life sciences.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-07-d-printing-lab-instruments-block.html#jCp
The project is led by Douglas Hill, a graduate student working with William Grover, assistant professor of bioengineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering. Before joining UCR's Ph.D. program in Bioengineering, Hill worked for 20 years in the field of electronics design, where he used electronic components that were designed to work with each other. He was surprised to see there was no similar set of components in the life sciences.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-07-d-printing-lab-instruments-block.html#jCp
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