Rise of the machines: how to build more open, smarter labs

Consumer electronics keep getting smarter - everything from phones to light builbs now has the ability to be automated, synced, and controlled. Our labs lag behind – because automated experiments are expensive, and proprietary software and hardware make it difficult to integrate instruments together. This talk will start with a project that’s analysed nanoparticles 100x faster than is possible by hand, then explore what’s possible with some open source software and hardware. In particular, the ability to 3D print sub-micron-precision manipulators makes it possible to create automated fibre aligners and microscopes. The microscopes can even be produced in Tanzania, where we’re trialling them for malaria diagnostics.