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Important Facts For Prelims

The Paper Microscope: Foldscope

  • 23 Jun 2020
  • 2 min read

Why in News

Recently, some doctors have explored and validated the clinical utility of foldscope in the diagnosis of diseases using various patient samples.

Key Points

  • Foldscope:
    • It is an affordable microscope that can be made from simple components, including a sheet of paper and a lens. It cost less than a Rs. 100 to make a Foldscope.
    • Upon assembly, the device can hold a specimen slide for observation, and this specimen can be viewed via a mobile phone camera attached to it.
    • It is portable and durable, and performs on par with conventional microscopes.
    • It was developed by Manu Prakash and is part of the "frugal science" movement which aims to make cheap and easy tools available for scientific use in the developing world
  • Benefits:
    • Foldscope can be used to diagnose diseases like oral health, urinary tract infection (UTI), leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and monitor kidney stones.
    • It can be employed in public healthcare centres for primary diagnosis or as personal health monitoring devices.
    • Apart from the medical field it can also be used in agriculture, to detect various types of microorganisms which affect the crops and animals.

Source: PIB

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