Launching an online store to sell open science hardware
Open science hardware is amazing. You download some instructions off the internet, buy a bunch of components and build an actual scientific instrument. Now you not only know exactly how it works because you put it together yourself, but also how to modify it if necessary.
I love open science hardware. Over the past decade I've designed an open-source syringe pump, a hydroponics controller and an outdoor air quality monitor. I even wrote an academic article on open-source hardware for medical devices. I've also built open-source designs made by other folks, like this colorimeter designed by IO Rodeo:
Or this magnetic stirrer from the BioHack Academy at Waag Futurelab:
It's hard to replicate open-source designs, as buying all the various components can be time-consuming and expensive. Importing open-source hardware from another country can get delayed by customs and incur additional fees and duties.
I wanted to make it easier for people to get started, so my wife Margriet and I just launched LabCrafter, an online store for open science hardware in the UK.
We decided to focus on four popular open science hardware designs to start with:
OpenFlexure microscope
OpenFlexure is a laboratory-grade, motorised digital microscope. The microscope uses a unique 3D-printed mechanism for sub-micron positioning and has auto-focus, so once you've inserted the slide with your sample you can view images from and control the microscope with your computer over WiFi or Ethernet.
Open Colorimeter
The Open Colorimeter measures how much light is absorbed by a sample at a specific wavelength. You'd be surprised at the number of applications of this tool, from water quality measurements to determining beer colour! Have you ever tried to measure pH using litmus paper or test strips? Now imagine a device that can give you an exact value for the measurement instead of trying to visually match it to a colour chart. This is great for citizen science projects that want to accurately report their data.
Pioreactor
I've been looking for an affordable bioreactor that I can build and modify myself for a very long time. I was so excited when I discovered Pioreactor just before they launched in 2022 that waiting for the package to cross the Atlantic and make its way through customs felt like forever.
Pioreactor's biggest strength is its frequently updated open-source software that lets you run experiments growing microbes, measuring their growth rate and keeping them at the right temperature. You can also extend the Pioreactor with peristaltic pumps to add or remove media.
We're using these over at the AMYBO project to try and grow microbial protein using just sunlight and carbon dioxide.
Soil moisture sensor
The b-parasite soil moisture sensor is a Bluetooth sensor that measures soil moisture and ambient temperature, humidity and light. It comes pre-programmed as a BTHome-compatible sensor with Home Assistant support.
Insert a coin cell battery and push it into your plant pot. The sensor is discovered automatically by Home Assistant as a BTHome device and displays data from the various sensors. The conformal coating on the bottom part of the sensor prevents water damage.
What's next?
While we launched with existing open science hardware designs, I want to add more of my own designs in future. Please also get in touch if there is a design you would love to see in the store!