3D-printed assistive pipetting system for gel electrophoresis for technicians with low acuity vision

BioTechniques

Ethan D Buhr¹  Alex Viqian Huynh¹  Phillip Stein¹ 

[1] 1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;

关键词: 3D printing;    gel electrophoresis;    visual aid;    visual impairment;   

DOI  :  10.2144/btn-2020-0139

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In molecular biology laboratories, many tasks require fine motor control and high acuity vision. For example, lab technicians with visual impairment experience difficulty loading samples into the small wells of a horizontal agarose gel. We have developed a 3D-printable gel loading system which allows technicians with low-contrast vision to load gels correctly. It includes a casting tray, a bridge, and a modified comb. The system provides a high-contrast visual field to improve visibility, and the bridge allows pipette tips to be inserted at the correct location and only to the correct depth. The necessary computer files for printing this device are freely available to increase the accessibility of molecular biology laboratories to people with visual impairment.

【 授权许可】

Unknown