Is Open Source Laboratory Equipment on the Horizon?
I’ve worked in a few labs in which the equipment looked straight out of the trash bin (and in at least one case I was assured that indeed this was the source of procurement for some of the items). What this gear may have lacked in sexiness, it made up for in reliability and robustness. For instance, a shaking incubator with a jerry-rigged thermostat that had to be adjusted with a screwdriver, or a fluorimeter with a stir plate bolted to the bottom. It looked pretty rough, but there weren’t any problems with balky software or finicky hardware when it came time to do experiments.
I bring this up because scientists are almost all, at some level, tinkerers. We like to solve problems, and require specialized tools to do it. Almost every lab I’ve worked in has had to modify some commercial product to do precisely what they need it to.
In the consumer space, there are some interesting developments in hardware that is designed to be modified by the end user. One example is the OpenMoko linux-based smartphone, which even provides CAD drawings of the casing for users to develop if they wish. There have been advances recently in other fields that will allow for rapid distribution and testing of open-source machines via 3d printing. If you haven’t seen it already, check out the candyfab, a low-cost 3d printer that uses sugar as the medium. These printers will only become more capable and cheaper as they are developed, which might make it possible to download the plans for a piece of equipment or labware and print it out immediately, perhaps with a few alterations to match the specific application.
It’s already somewhat common for scientists to make their own analysis equipment in certain cases (such as microfluidic devices). I think that it won’t be very long (maybe 10 years) before it becomes feasible to produce larger or more complex devices to use in the laboratory. Even if we never do print out a thermal cycler, it should be relatively straightforward to make a new beaker, crystal tray, or spatula. Due to the premiums charged by scientific supply companies, it may be cost-effective to manufacture these as needed in the lab rather than overpaying for them from a vendor. If the printers take similar input files (or suitable conversion programs are written), it would be entirely possible to create an online repository of user-designed items which could be open for debate and refinement.
