CAREER: Print and Fold Optical Instruments

PI: Prakash， ManuProposal: 1453190该提案植根于利用不同的科学领域，为生物科学光学仪器的全球需求创造了一种大规模卷对卷光学仪器制造的新方法。这项研究具有变革性，因为它将首次以可扩展且具有成本效益的方式创造大规模制造光学仪器的能力。这种单片制造光学仪器的方法是独特的，在现场显微镜、低成本疾病诊断、环境现场生物学和气候监测方面具有重要意义。该项目的教育和推广部分包括K-12教育，在印度和泰国的国际推广，以及对高中生和本科生的指导。中心目标是开发一种新的工程低成本光学元件的制造工艺和高通量、低成本的工程微型成像器件的新组装协议。这包括基于印刷的微加工和用于组件组装的折纸（如折纸）。这项研究计划是基于PI在折纸光学方面的工作，在折纸光学中，通过折叠纸板和安装低成本的塑料透镜可以制造低成本的显微镜。这是制造显微镜的一个令人兴奋和引人注目的新方向，具有影响发展中国家的巨大潜力。这里的研究试图利用这种设计来改进制造过程。镜片快速成型的方法是非常创新的，如果能够生产出足够质量的镜片，这可能会产生重大影响。该奖项由工程理事会的生物光子学项目（CBET）和生物研究理事会的IDBR项目（生物研究仪器开发）共同资助。

PI: Prakash, ManuProposal: 1453190This proposal is rooted in leveraging diverse scientific fields, creating a new approach for large-scale roll-to-roll manufacturing of optical instruments for a global need of optical instruments in biosciences. This research is transformative because it will create, for the first time, the ability to mass manufacture optical instruments in a scalable and cost effective approach. This methodology of monolithic fabrication of optical instruments is unique and has significant implications in field microscopy, low-cost disease diagnostics, environmental field biology and climate monitoring. The educational and outreach component of this project includes K-12 education, international outreach in India and Thailand, and mentoring of high school and undergraduate students. The central objective is to develop a new fabrication process for engineering low-cost optical components and new assembly protocol for engineer miniature imaging devices with high throughput and low cost. This l involves printing-based microfabrication and paper folding (like in origami) for components assembling. The research plan is based on the PI's work in origami optics, where low cost microscopes can be fabricated by folding cardboard and installing low cost plastic lenses. This is an exciting and compelling new direction for building microscopes with significant potential for impacting the developing world. The research here seeks to leverage this design to improve manufacturing processes. The approach for rapid prototyping of lenses is very innovative and if lenses of sufficient quality can be produced, this could have substantial impact. This award is co-funded by the Biophotonics program (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate and the IDBR program (Instrument Development for Biological Research) in the BIO Directorate.