Open Access3D-printed assistive pipetting system for gel electrophoresis for technicians with low acuity vision
Author(s) -
Alex Viqian Huynh,
Phillip D. Stein,
Ethan D. Buhr
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biotechniques/biotechniques
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1940-9818
pISSN - 0736-6205
DOI - 10.2144/btn-2020-0139
Subject(s) - pipette , computer science , bridge (graph theory) , visibility , agarose , visual acuity , biomedical engineering , computer vision , artificial intelligence , optics , engineering , medicine , chromatography , surgery , chemistry , physics
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.