Introduction to Open-Source Hardware for Science - Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs - page 8

FIGURE 1.5 The DremelFuge, a 3-D printable rotor for centrifuging standard microcentrifuge
tubes and mini-prep columns powered by a Dremel drill. Source: Designed and open sourced by Cathal Gar-
vey ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1483 ) .
These combination devices can radically reduce research costs. For example, the
DremelFuge can be used in the lab or the field as an extremely inexpensive centrifuge (price:
<$50, primarily for the Dremel drill—compared to commercial centrifuges systems, which cost
a few hundred dollars).
The most aggressive savings can come from coupling Arduino controls to 3-D prints to
make open-source scientific hardware. Consider the Arduino-controlled open-source orbital
shaker in Figure 1.6 , used for mammalian cell and tissue culture and bench-top science. The
<$200 open-source orbital shaker fits inside a standard 37 °C/5% CO 2 cell incubator and re-
places commercial versions that start over $1000—a factor of 5X savings. As the scientific tools
that are open-sourced gain complexity, the cost differential becomes even more severe.