Scientific Instruments based on open source designs

A few designs, such as the 

• Plant "PhenoBox",
• "RoPod" chambers for Arabidopsis roots,
• "Syringe pump", and "Microinjection dispenser" for laboratory use,
• "operant chamber" for behaviour studies, or an
• "insect trap monitoring system" enabling timely pest control,

are highlighted to illustrate the potential of the open hardware / open source movement to "democratize" science. While open hardware has a bright future and is likely to play an increasingly important role in the scientific community, a key challenge is to ensure the quality and accuracy of the instruments. This is of course particularly the case where open hardware designs are used for critical applications such as medical research or diagnostics. However, with appropriate oversight and quality control measures, these challenges can be overcome. Overall, the emphasis on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and democratizing access to scientific instruments is likely to drive innovation and benefit the scientific community and society in many ways for years to come.

Helping to realize open hardware designs. Although open source designs are often published with assembly instructions aimed at the non-specialist, a basic understanding of physics, electronics and computer programming concepts is certainly helpful. If you are concerned about whether DIY scientific instruments based on open hardware designs will meet the high quality standards required for your research, if you simply don't have the time to 3D print, laser cut and/or solder (some) components yourself, or if you prefer to buy an open source instrument that has been professionally assembled, Vienna Scientific Instruments is your partner. We precisely manufacture and assemble the open source kits you need for your research or educational purposes. Contact us if you need any support setting-up open hardware projects or if you are interested to adapt designs to your requirements. Please be aware that without a joint R&D project, we produce the open hardware as described in the related documentation / publication or implement modifications as defined by the customer.