Manu Prakash: A 50-cent microscope that folds like origami

譯者: Chen Chang 審譯者: Hermia Tsai

The year is 1800.

就在西元1800年

A curious little invention is being talked about.

有一個神奇的小裝置引起了眾人的關注

It's called a microscope.

它就是顯微鏡

What it allows you to do

它的功用是

is see tiny little lifeforms

讓你看見那些

that are invisible to the naked eye.

肉眼看不到的生命形式

Soon comes the medical discovery

很快在醫學上也發現

that many of these lifeforms are actually causes

這些微小的生命形式也是造成

of terrible human diseases.

許多可怕疾病的成因

Imagine what happened to the society

想像當時的社會發生什麼事

when they realized

當他們了解到

that an English mom in her teacup

一位拿著茶杯的英國婦女

actually was drinking a monster soup,

實事上正在啜飲一杯致病怪獸湯

not very far from here. This is from London.

這是在離這裡不遠的倫敦

Fast forward 200 years.

兩百年過後的現在

We still have this monster soup around,

世界上依舊存在這些致病怪獸湯

and it's taken hold in the developing countries

只不過喝著他們的人大部分在開發中國家

around the tropical belt.

還有赤道地區

Just for malaria itself,

就拿瘧疾來說

there are a million deaths a year,

它一年造成了一百萬人死亡

and more than a billion people

而這世界上有十億人

that need to be tested because they are at risk

因為高風險而需要被檢測

for different species of malarial infections.

以應付不同種的瘧疾感染

Now it's actually very simple to put a face

現在要辨認這些怪獸的身分

to many of these monsters.

其實非常簡單

You take a stain, like acridine orange

只要拿一個染劑，例如說吖啶橙

or a fluorescent stain or Giemsa,

螢光染劑或吉姆薩染液

and a microscope, and you look at them.

再搭配顯微鏡的話，你就會發現

They all have faces.

它們全都有自己特殊的面貌

Why is that so, that Alex in Kenya,

如果真是這樣的話 那為什麼住在肯亞的Alex

Fatima in Bangladesh, Navjoot in Mumbai,

住在孟加拉的Fatima、來自孟買的Navjoot

and Julie and Mary in Uganda still wait months

還有烏干達的Julie跟Mary 仍舊需要等上幾個月

to be able to diagnose why they are sick?

才能夠被診斷出他們染上了這個疾病？

And that's primarily because scalability

這主要是因為對他們來說

of the diagnostics is completely out of reach.

以顯微鏡作為診斷工具是完全不可能的

And remember that number: one billion.

然後請記住這個數字：十億人

The problem lies with the microscope itself.

這個問題主要是出自顯微鏡本身

Even though the pinnacle of modern science,

即使現在科學十分發達

research microscopes are not designed for field testing.

研究用顯微鏡並不是針對田野測試設計的

Neither were they first designed

它們一開始也不是被設計

for diagnostics at all.

拿來作為臨床診斷的工具

They are heavy, bulky, really hard to maintain,

它們很重、占空間、難以維護

and cost a lot of money.

而且需要很多錢才能擁有一台

This picture is Mahatma Gandhi in the '40s

這張照片是40年代，甘地正在他的聚會所

using the exact same setup that we actually use today

用與現在完全相同的方式

for diagnosing T.B. in his ashram

在印度的塞瓦格蘭姆

in Sevagram in India.

診斷結核桿菌的存在

Two of my students, Jim and James,

我的兩個學生Jim和James

traveled around India and Thailand,

他們遊歷了印度和泰國

starting to think about this problem a lot.

並開始思考了這個問題

We saw all kinds of donated equipment.

我們看了各式各項被捐贈去的器材

We saw fungus growing on microscope lenses.

還有已經長出真菌的顯微鏡片

And we saw people who had a functional microscope

我們也看見那些有一些人雖然有良好的顯微鏡

but just didn't know how to even turn it on.

卻不知道該怎麼使用它

What grew out of that work and that trip

我們從那次旅途中滋生出一些想法

was actually the idea of what we call Foldscopes.

我們把其命名為摺紙式顯微鏡

So what is a Foldscope?

什麼是摺紙式顯微鏡？

A Foldscope is a completely functional microscope,

一個摺紙式顯微鏡 具有完整的功能的顯微鏡

a platform for fluorescence, bright-field,

它是一個能夠把光學及螢光顯微技術

polarization, projection,

或是偏光顯微技術以及投影顯微法

all kinds of advanced microscopy

還有其他所有先進的顯微技術

built purely by folding paper.

用摺紙完全實現的平台

So, now you think, how is that possible?

你一定在想，這怎麼可能呢？

I'm going to show you some examples here,

我要給你們看幾個例子

and we will run through some of them.

我們也會在這裡做一些示範

It starts with a single sheet of paper.

從一張簡單的紙開始

What you see here is all the possible components

你可以看到上面有各種可能的零件

to build a functional bright-field and fluorescence microscope.

可以用來做出具功能的 亮視野顯微鏡以及螢光顯微鏡

So, there are three stages:

它有三個層級

There is the optical stage, the illumination stage

鏡片、光源

and the mask-holding stage.

還有固定樣本的地方

And there are micro optics at the bottom

而在底部有微型的鏡片

that's actually embedded in the paper itself.

它們就直接嵌在紙裡頭

What you do is, you take it on,

你唯一需要做的是，把零件取下來

and just like you are playing like a toy,

就像你在玩玩具那樣

which it is,

其實還真的蠻像的啦

I tab it off,

我沿著標示好的邊緣

and I break it off.

把它取下來

This paper has no instructions and no languages.

這張紙上沒有任何說明和語言

There is a code, a color code embedded,

取而代之的是一種附在上面的顏色密碼

that tells you exactly how to fold that specific microscope.

它會精準地告訴你 該如何組裝出一台顯微鏡

When it's done, it looks something like this,

完成之後，你會拿到像這樣的東西

has all the functionalities of a standard microscope,

它具有標準的顯微鏡所有的功能

just like an XY stage,

像是一個XY平台，

a place where a sample slide could go,

一個可以放上玻片樣本的地方

for example right here.

像我手上這個

We didn't want to change this,

我們不想改變製造樣本的方法

because this is the standard

因為這方法是個很多年來

that's been optimized for over the years,

已經被最佳化的標準

and many health workers are actually used to this.

很多健康相關工作者 也已經習慣這種樣本

So this is what changes,

所以我們改變的是顯微鏡

but the standard stains all remain the same

不過所有染劑使用的方法還是一樣

for many different diseases.

視是哪種疾病而定

You pop this in.

你把它放進來

There is an XY stage,

固定在XY平台上，

and then there is a focusing stage,

之後有一個可以讓你聚焦的功能

which is a flexure mechanism

它是內建在紙本身的彎曲機制

that's built in paper itself that allows us to move

能夠讓我們以微米的等級

and focus the lenses by micron steps.

去移動鏡片並讓鏡片聚焦

So what's really interesting about this object,

這個產品最有趣的地方就在於

and my students hate when I do this,

我的學生討厭我這樣

but I'm going to do this anyway,

不過我還是要做

is these are rugged devices.

這些顯微鏡十分耐用

I can turn it on and throw it on the floor

我可以啟動它並把它扔在地上

and really try to stomp on it.

然後狠狠的踩

And they last, even though they're designed

即使他們是用像紙一般 有彈性的材料做成

from a very flexible material, like paper.

在我踩完之後，它們的功能還是能夠完好如初

Another fun fact is, this is what we actually

另一個有趣的事實是，我手上的是

send out there as a standard diagnostic tool,

我們送出去用來診斷的標準工具

but here in this envelope

但是單單在這個資料夾裡

I have 30 different foldscopes

我就有30種不同的摺紙式顯微鏡

of different configurations all in a single folder.

每一個都有自己獨特的設計

And I'm going to pick one randomly.

讓我隨機挑一個

This one, it turns out, is actually designed

這個，事實上

specifically for malaria,

就是專門為了瘧疾設計的

because it has the fluorescent filters built

因為它有特殊的螢光濾鏡

specifically for diagnosing malaria.

可以用來診斷瘧疾

So the idea of very specific diagnostic microscopes

針對不同疾病設計顯微鏡的點子

comes out of this.

就是來自這裡

So up till now, you didn't actually see

直到現在，你們都還沒機會看到

what I would see from one of these setups.

我用已經組裝好的顯微鏡看到的東西

So what I would like to do is,

所以接下來我要示範一下

if we could dim the lights, please,

請把燈光調暗

it turns out foldscopes are also projection microscopes.

這些摺紙式顯微鏡 也具有投影顯微鏡的功能

I have these two microscopes that I'm going to turn --

我手上有兩副顯微鏡，我要把它們

go to the back of the wall --

面對後面的牆壁

and just project, and this way you will see

然後把我能夠看到的東西投影出來

exactly what I would see.

這樣你們就知道它的功能

What you're looking at --

你們現在看著的是

(Applause) —

（掌聲）

This is a cross-section of a compound eye,

這是一個複眼的的剖面

and when I'm going to zoom in closer, right there,

而當我要讓成像放大的時候

I am going through the z-axis.

我可以通過Z軸來調整

You actually see how the lenses are cut together

你完全可以從這剖面

in the cross-section pattern.

看見這些水晶體是如何被切下來的

Another example, one of my favorite insects,

另一個例子來自我最喜歡的昆蟲

I love to hate this one,

我最喜歡咒罵的昆蟲

is a mosquito,

也就是蚊子

and you're seeing the antenna of a culex pipiens.

你現在看到的是尖音庫蚊的觸角

Right there.

就在那邊

All from the simple setup that I actually described.

你能夠用我剛剛講的 簡單裝置看到所有的細節

So my wife has been field testing

對了，經過我妻子的實地測試

some of our microscopes

也就是把我忘在衣服口袋的摺疊顯微鏡

by washing my clothes whenever I forget them

連同髒衣服一起拿去洗

in the dryer.

烘乾完之後

So it turns out they're waterproof, and --

我們發現它們可以防水

(Laughter) —

（笑聲）

right here is just fluorescent water,

這裡有一杯單純的螢光水

and I don't know if you can actually see this.

我不知道你們看不看的見

This also shows you how the projection scope works.

不過你可以從這看出投影鏡片是如何運作的

You get to see the beam the way it's projected and bent.

你可以看光束被投射以及彎曲的情形

Can we get the lights back on again?

可以再把燈打開嗎？

So I'm quickly going to show you,

因為時間快用完了

since I'm running out of time,

接著我要很快的讓你們看看

in terms of how much it costs for us to manufacture,

我們需要花多少成本來製造這些

the biggest idea was roll-to-roll manufacturing,

我們最大的想法是採用連續捲軸式製造

so we built this out of 50 cents of parts and costs.

所以可以用50美分就製造出了這個

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And what this allows us to do

而這樣的成本讓我們可以

is to think about a new paradigm in microscopy,

想出顯微鏡的新應用範例

which we call use-and-throw microscopy.

也就是可拋式顯微鏡

I'm going to give you a quick snapshot

我要給你一個快速的寫照

of some of the parts that go in.

讓你們知道上面的零件有哪些

Here is a sheet of paper.

這裡有一張紙

This is when we were thinking about the idea.

這是我們在思考這個想法的時候畫的

This is an A4 sheet of paper.

這是一張A4大小的紙

These are the three stages that you actually see.

你可以親眼看到三個層級

And the optical components, if you look at the inset up on the right,

如果你把注意力放在右上中間 可以看到光學元件

we had to figure out a way to manufacture lenses

我們不得不想出辦法

in paper itself at really high throughputs,

在紙上以高產率來製造鏡片

so it uses a process of self-assembly

因此，它利用一個自動組裝的製程

and surface tension

和表面張力

to build achromatic lenses in the paper itself.

在紙上生產出無色的鏡片

So that's where the lenses go.

那就是鏡片在的地方

There are some light sources.

還有光源

And essentially, in the end,

最後這些零件不得不排列整齊

all the parts line up because of origami,

這樣才能符合摺紙的形式

because of the fact that origami allows us

因為摺紙能夠讓我們

micron-scale precision of optical alignment.

以微米的精準度來做光學校正

So even though this looks like a simple toy,

所以即使這看起來像一個簡單的玩具

the aspects of engineering that go in

在裡面蘊含的工程技術

something like this are fairly sophisticated.

也是相當複雜的

So here is another obvious thing that we would do,

另外還有一件我們不得不做的事情

typically, if I was going to show

基本上，如果我要告訴你們

that these microscopes are robust,

這些顯微鏡十分耐用

is go to the third floor and drop it from the floor itself.

我們要從三樓把它們丟下去

There it is, and it survives.

就像這樣，而且它還完好如初

So for us, the next step actually

所以對我們來說，下一步行動

is really finishing our field trials.

就是完成田野的實地測試

We are starting at the end of the summer.

我們將從今年夏末開始

We are at a stage where we'll be making thousands of microscopes.

我們正在製造上千個顯微鏡

That would be the first time where we would be

這將會是我們第一次

doing field trials with the highest density

讓一個地方擁有最高的顯微鏡普及率

of microscopes ever at a given place.

並做實際測試

We've started collecting data for malaria,

我們已經開始從病患那收集有關瘧疾

Chagas disease and giardia from patients themselves.

美洲錐蟲症和梨形鞭毛蟲症的數據

And I want to leave you with this picture.

而我希望能夠讓你們看見

I had not anticipated this before,

雖然我以前從沒想過

but a really interesting link

那就是動手作的科學教育

between hands-on science education

以及全球健康問題

and global health.

之間的有趣聯繫

What are the tools that we're actually providing

在未來，我們該給那些

the kids who are going to fight

正在對抗致病怪獸湯的孩子們

this monster soup for tomorrow?

什麼樣的工具呢?

I would love for them to be able to just print out

我希望他們能夠 直接列印出一個摺紙式顯微鏡

a Foldscope and carry them around in their pockets.

並放在口袋中隨身攜帶

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）