Design of a Low-Cost Phone Based Microscopy Device Using an Electrically Tunable Lens and Simple Lenses Made of Polymethyl Methacrylate and Soda-Lime Glass with a Samsung S8 Phone

Microscopes, an essential device used in scientific discovery, are not uniformly available to the public, especially in rural areas and developing countries. To increase access to microscopes, smaller, cheaper, and more portable microscopes have been developed. However, their field-of-view and resolution are lacking in quality compared to their traditional counterparts. The goal of this research was to create a more inexpensive microscope alternative using a plano-convex lens, ball lens, and electrically tunable lens to magnify objects. The device was built using the aforementioned lenses, 3D printing, a lens driver, and a Dell Latitude E7440 PC. The microscope’s cost, magnification, field-of-view, and resolution were found and compared to those of a traditional microscope. These values were measured using the magnification equation and lens formula, a ruler, and a resolution test target. It was observed that with a magnification of 1.428, field-of-view of approximately 11 mm, resolution of 314.98 µm, and cost of $409, the prototype’s vision was obfuscated and not clear, although at a slightly lower cost, compared to the traditional microscope