The $10,000 Access Barrier: Industrial Design for Scientific Accessibility
The Barrier to Research
These integrated, bulky systems are prohibitively expensive, typically costing $10,000 or more, creating a major access barrier for labs and classrooms.
Reference: Accessory Lighting Flaws & Limitations
Goal: Research established the necessary reference point by analyzing existing accessory illumination forms.
Initial Ideation concepts
First round of prototypes
Key Learnings from Physical Prototypes:
Hybrid Ring Mount (Objective-Attached Prototype)
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Result: Exhibited severe instability and torque issues when attached directly to the objective lens, especially when trying to adjust the side-mounted blue light.
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Conclusion: This direct objective-mounting method was fundamentally flawed for supporting and precisely positioning the excitation light source.
Gooseneck System (Decoupled Arm Prototype)
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Result: Prototyping confirmed this system was mechanically clumsy to adjust. Crucially, the need for quick, on-the-fly movement of the orange filter during use was not adequately met by this setup.
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Conclusion: Decoupling via goosenecks did not provide the precision, stability, or ease-of-use required for a responsive scientific instrument.
