Virtual microscopy made economical and effortless using the Foldscope and a smartphone with screen mirroring

CONTEXT: Virtual Microscopy. AIM: The aim of this study was to demonstrate, as a proof of concept, the integration of a Foldscope, along with a smartphone and screen mirroring devices, into the regular academic teaching program for use with all types of regular slides for economical virtual microscopy. SETTING, DESIGN & METHODS: For the purpose of this demonstration, a microscopic slide of a ground section of a tooth, a smartphone (iPhone6), a Foldscope and an Apple TV module were chosen to demonstrate the integration of a low-cost unbreakable microscope along with a smartphone to facilitate immediate viewing, capture, sharing and even projection of the image by screen mirroring, if required, in a classroom setting. CONCLUSION: The Foldscope microscope (Foldscope Instruments, Palo Alto, CA, USA) invented by Manu Prakash is an extremely economical, Origami style, fold to assemble microscope available from popular online retailers at approximately Rupees 500 aimed at simplifying and enabling diagnostics and education worldwide. The Foldscope, integrated with a smartphone, allows for easy screen casting thus proving invaluable as an educational tool by creating an effortless bridge between analogue input and digital output, facilitating instant digitization of slides for viewing, display, communication and storage. This article demonstrates the use of the Foldscope for virtual microscopy in a classroom scenario, by employing the screen mirroring capabilities of a smartphone.