www.3ders.org

Dec 11, 2017 | By Benedict

Two graduate students at South Africa’s Rhodes University have developed a 3D printed, solar-powered lab-in-a-box that costs under $1,500. The “FieldLab” is a portable medical diagnostics tool that can detect viruses and bacteria even in harsh conditions.

At the end of September this year, Rhodes University students Charles Faul and Lucas Lotter were recognized for their prototype 3D printed laboratory, FieldLab, which beat over 300 innovations to win Best Prototype at South Africa’s Innovation Showcase Bridge event. The award saw the two students pick up 50,000 rand ($3,700) for their efforts.

That, however, is just one example of FieldLab garnering praise and, more importantly, funding. Its creators have already raised one million rand ($73,000) from the South African government, Unicef, and other contributors. That’s helping the students keep the cost of portable lab at less than $1,500, which is around 90 per cent cheaper than lab-based equipment.

Faul and Lotter, both masters students at the university’s Biotechnology Innovation Centre, were inspired to develop FieldLab following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, during which mobile laboratories helped diagnose those who experienced the symptoms of flu and malaria.

Only a large number of those laboratories, many of which were mounted on trucks, weren’t able to reach remote areas served by poorly maintained roads. That failure highlighted the need for ultra-compact mobile labs that delivered the same capabilities of their larger counterparts, a need that Faul and Lotter sought to address.

FieldLab can be carried like a briefcase, is powered by solar energy, and is robust enough to withstand harsh weather conditions. It’s made using a combination of carpentry and 3D printing, and allows medical workers to perform complex biological tests, including blood and water analyses, with a high level of accuracy.

The functions of the 3D printed FieldLab include the ability to perform DNA analysis, separate fluids (centrifugation), and display a visual analysis of results. With additional modules like a microscope and DNA-amplifying thermocycler (which cost around $730 each), the lab’s capabilities can be extended further.

FieldLab is able to detect a range of viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal infections, including Malaria, which caused 731,000 deaths in 2015, around 90 per cent of which were in Africa. Malaria costs Africa around $12 billion a year in healthcare costs, work issues, and reduced tourism.

Thanks to the funding raised for the FieldLab, Faul and Lotter are aiming to commercialize the portable laboratory in 2018, ensuring that diagnoses can be carried out in conflict-ridden and hard-to-reach places without significant cost to governments or aid organizations.

FieldLab’s creators say the lab “will be built in Africa for Africa,” with production headquarters set to be established in the Eastern Cape. The design is and will remain open source.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

Maybe you also like:

• Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing rocks a stunning 3D printed gown by Iris Van Herpen
• Toshiba launches 3D printed 'Open Nail' project to offer custom-made false nails
• 3D-FeSy: 3D printed furniture suspension systems for comfy, tailor-made sofas
• GPhone is a 3D printed smartphone case that offers blood glucose monitoring on the go
• Researchers using 3D printing to explore evolution of the jaw, in ancient vertebrate fossils
• Nature-Inspired 3D printed gyroid composites much tougher than base materials, Masdar Institute finds
• A simplified process for 3D printing topographical maps
• EU Parliament hesitant to implement IP & civil liability regulations for 3D printing technologies
• This record-breaking 33x33x33 Rubik's Cube features a whopping 6,153 3D printed parts
• Four fun DIY 3D printing projects: wrist-mounted flame thrower, RC LEGO Go-Kart, low-cost PCB maker, antenna tracker

   

Leave a comment:

Your Name: