Invisible Worlds
The Microscope
Our microscope was based off of a design we referred to as the "Cell Phone Microscope." It works simply by placing your smart phone onto the area on top and lining up your camera with the magnification lens. Then place your subject on the tray below. Use the knobs on the sides to adjust the tray height and focus on your subject. Once you have the view you want, take your picture! Our goal was to take the original design of the microscope and make it easier to operate. We found the original's biggest issue was the hassle of adjusting the tray. Before, you had to turn two different nuts up a screw to adjust the height. We were inspired by the design of professional microscopes to use a gear and tread to move the tray up and down. The height can easily be adjusted by the knobs on the side just like most microscopes in professional labs. Our microscope was made out of acrylic and 3D printed materials. In our group, I was in charge of designing the height adjustment system with the 3D printer, Israel was in charge of making the acrylic casing and made us a logo (and making things look nice in general), and Mandalyn was our photographer and kept us up to date and on schedule. Our final photo ended up being of a sunflower Mandalyn brought (scroll to the bottom to view). With the microscope photo, you can really see all the small details of the flower.
Our microscope was based off of a design we referred to as the "Cell Phone Microscope." It works simply by placing your smart phone onto the area on top and lining up your camera with the magnification lens. Then place your subject on the tray below. Use the knobs on the sides to adjust the tray height and focus on your subject. Once you have the view you want, take your picture! Our goal was to take the original design of the microscope and make it easier to operate. We found the original's biggest issue was the hassle of adjusting the tray. Before, you had to turn two different nuts up a screw to adjust the height. We were inspired by the design of professional microscopes to use a gear and tread to move the tray up and down. The height can easily be adjusted by the knobs on the side just like most microscopes in professional labs. Our microscope was made out of acrylic and 3D printed materials. In our group, I was in charge of designing the height adjustment system with the 3D printer, Israel was in charge of making the acrylic casing and made us a logo (and making things look nice in general), and Mandalyn was our photographer and kept us up to date and on schedule. Our final photo ended up being of a sunflower Mandalyn brought (scroll to the bottom to view). With the microscope photo, you can really see all the small details of the flower.