Holy Trinity Academy

Calabash Rd. Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila

High School Department

Cellphone Microscope: Using Laser

Lens as Objective Lens in Viewing Specimen

Submitted by:
Benitez, Alliyah Francin G.
Lara, John Eric A.
Ramos, Angeline J.
Reyes, Ma. Paula Beatrice M.
Ulep, Judycharmin Mae V.

Grade 10 – St. Catherine of Siena

Submitted to:
Mrs. Michelle R. Tubera

October 4, 2018
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

When you get sick, you generally go to your doctor, get a prescription for what
ails you, and feel better soon thereafter. But in parts of the world that are remote, people
cannot visit doctors as easily. A doctor or nurse may not live close by. Even if a person
could visit the doctor, he or she may not have the facilities or tools, like microscopes, to
quickly diagnose and start treating that person's diseases.

All branches of biology use Microscopes especially in Molecular Biology and

Histology (study of cells). Microscopes are the backbone of studying biology; the
biologists use it to view the details that cannot be seen by the naked eye such as the
small parasites and small organisms which is important for the disease control research.

Although not everyone on earth has ready access to health-care providers, 80%
of the world has cell-phone coverage. So, is there a way to use cell phones to give people
living in non-urban areas access to health and testing facilities? Yes—cell phone
microscopes! Almost all the people take pictures with their cell phone cameras. With a
few extra parts, that same camera can easily be converted into a microscope. Using their
cell phones modified as inexpensive microscopes, medical personnel, especially those
who are on a medical mission on remote areas can examine blood samples from the
residents there to have initial analysis to a possible disease. A great thing about the
specimens you view using the Cellphone microscope is that it can be saved, sent, and be
shared to professionals and others.

OBJECTIVES

The researchers aim:

1. To lessen or prevent the spread of diseases especially to prone areas.
2. To raise awareness about the importance of accessible and universal medical supplies.
3. To innovate the existing compound microscope and find alternatives to make it
handier.
4. To have knowledge on how the product works and how it can be used to save lives.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The main problem that made the researchers come up with 'Cellphone Microscope'
is due to the different tropical diseases that our planet is encountering which refer to
infectious diseases that thrive in hot, humid conditions, such as malaria, leishmaniasis,
schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, Chagas disease, African
trypanosomiasis, and which is most known here in the Philippines - dengue.

The lack of medical tools and equipment, hard to reach health centers, and
insufficient professionals that are knowledgeable about diseases from parts of the world
make it hard for the people and worsen the diseases itself.

The researchers also have problems in conducting the study such as: Is the
proposed product ‘Cellphone Microscope’ possible to materialize? How will the product be
able to clearly show the specimens as closely as necessary? How can the product be used
in reading the specimens and still be accurate despite of being less complex and losing
some parts from the existing and well-used compound microscope?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will help those people in remote areas that are hard to reach and those
indigent people who can’t afford to pay expensive fees on the laboratories and hospitals
just for testing samples. With this simple tool, it would break the barriers of these people
to access the right to health care.

This study will also benefit ordinary people because they may be able to diagnose
their own simple illnesses if symptoms occur. They may study about that certain illness
and see if their samples show abnormalities. Yet, it is still necessary to be checked by a
professional if the illness cannot be understood by their own capacity.

It is significant because it is beneficial to those professionals who often give service

to medical missions. With this device, they can readily view specimens and on-the-spot
take a picture of the results and save it for proper reading and record. They may also tell
the diagnosis to their patients right away.
 CHAPTER II
METHODOLOGY

Researching about the concepts and materials

The researchers thoroughly studied about the uses and hazards of microscopes,
as well as its different parts to be able to know the necessary parts in creating a prototype
and innovate the existing one. The researchers relied on different books and websites to
gather facts related to the study.

Gathering of materials to be used

The researchers looked for a store that has the materials that will be used in
making the product. The materials are as follows: laser light (1), sturdy boxes, tube,
masking tape, acrylic paint, glass slides, paper clips, and power bank (with flashlight) or
any light source. The main material, which is the lens, was bought in the market. The
researchers bought other materials on a hardware store. 5 different specimens were
prepared for testing.

Making the ‘Cellphone Microscope’

The researchers started to make the product. Firstly, they disassembled the laser
pointer and extracted the lens from it. On a small cut out of cardboard, they created a
small hole that would hold the lens, then they attached the lens holder to a clip. For the
stage, the researchers used a tissue tube holder for the main body so that the light from
the source wouldn’t scatter, and a small box was used to serve as the cellphone stand.
The parts were assembled and painted black to have a more presentable look.
Testing the product

The researchers prepared 5 specimens namely stagnant water, droplet of blood,

lice, onion skin and fabric. The researchers checked if the microscope can view the
different types of specimen in the necessary microscopic level of magnification, if the light
intensity is just right for proper viewing, and if the cellphone’s controls (zooming) are
working properly so that they may still be able to adjust and improve if there are any
faults.
 CHAPTER III

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The researchers observed that the cellphone microscope works properly as

planned. In the first specimen (stagnant water), real live microorganisms were seen
floating and swimming around, signifying that a bacterium is present there. In the second
specimen (droplet of blood), finer patches of blood were seen, thus, it was able to reach
the level of magnification for testing. In the third specimen (lice), the pumping of blood
by its heart was largely evident, proving that the product can be used in examining details
of microorganisms. In the fourth specimen (onion skin), the results were able to satisfy
the existing standard. Finally, the fifth specimen (fabric), spools of thread were closely
identified, even thin threads were properly seen.

The researchers have identified different factors that would affect the result made
by the product such as the cellphone’s configuration and its camera’s resolution (in
megapixels). In addition, the intensity of light from the source would greatly affect the
image. So, in order to achieve best results, it is recommended to put a clean sheet of
white paper below the glass slide to evenly distribute the light for better viewing.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The researchers wanted to create a product that is life-saving and beneficial to the
people, thus, the production of Cellphone Microscope as an alternative to heavy and
expensive microscope. The researchers carefully studied about the microscope itself, its
parts and functions, the different microscopic lenses, light intensities and the basic
principles and ideas about optics that made the product possible and attainable. The
researchers tested on five (5) different specimens to truly see the outcome of each one.
The product and its activities were keenly documented, observed, and analyzed by the
researchers to deliver a truthful and fact-based conclusion.

The investigatory project is considered by the researchers successful, with the fact
that the objectives were attained and resulted with a correct hypothesis. Based on the
experiments, all five trials were successful without encountering much of difficulties
concerning the product. It was easy to utilize the product.

Using the Cellphone microscope would be better than the existing microscopes
depending on the person who will use it. It is recommendable to those people who might
want to get their works done right away and hassle-free. This is to see the microscopic
specimens with your mobile phone even if you don’t have an actual microscope. Also,
this product is way cheaper than the expensive microscopes that the professionals use.
Still, using an actual microscope would be more accurate or precise, but we highly
recommend this Cellphone microscope because it offers way more a lot if you base it on
its cost. It is very cheap, yet it gives a nice and almost-perfect result.

Both products are fragile, hence, proper handling, storage and usage should
always be practiced and observed, instructions should be strictly followed, and
precautionary measures should be well practiced by the users.

RECOMMENDATION

This product would definitely contribute to further studies with regards to the
innovation of the portability of different medical equipment. This study may be the start
for future researches and may inspire the future researchers to innovate and come up
with other portable medical equipment as being the microscope only an initial action for
the analysis of specimens, but still needs laboratory tests for the final result. Hence, the
researchers would recommend an innovation to make the laboratory equipment be
portable as well. The researchers would also want to recommend to pharmaceuticals,
having already able to see viruses. Through this, production of Svaccines

non government
voluntarily
provide for the community
cellphone companies

APPENDICES: