THIS ‘tita’ wanted her young nephews and nieces to increase their interest in science. So she bought them toy microscopes as Christmas gifts to give them the experience of looking through the instrument to see small objects that they couldn’t with their naked eyes.
But the cost of a microscope, albeit a toy, that could magnify even just an ant or the details of a leaf, has left her purse empty. Thus, one could just imagine that the purchase of one will surely cause a big dent on the budget of an ordinary Filipino household.However, there is good news. Low-cost but powerful Make-roscope Keychains are now being made available to students.
Thanks to the invention of Jeremy de Leon, founder of JereMake, the home of Make-roscope Keychains, and a graduate of Manufacturing Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology.
What’s more, the idea is now a reality through the support of Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI).
Scrutinize the smallest unit of life
Microscopes are instruments that allow the enlargement of small objects, like the smallest unit of life—the cell—through images that are very useful to scrutinize, said Jund Rian A. Doringo in a DOST-TAPI news release.
Used in schools for students to learn biology, or in standard research laboratories, microscopes are a staple to better understand the existing minute life that is not seen by the naked eye.
As the whole world shifted to online learning since the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, certain tools, such as microscopy, were limited to videos, pictures and online simulations in schools.
Make-roscope Keychains is born
Inventor de Leon took this predicament to innovate a single-lens keychain microscope designed to be placed on top of the front facing camera of a smartphone or tablet, the DOST-TAPI news release said.
Called Make-roscope Keychains, the innovation became a brilliant, low-cost alternative to an expensive light compound microscope, Doringo said in the news release.
“Make-roscope Keychains can magnify samples from 265 to even 400 times,” de Leon was quoted in the DOST-TAPI news release.
DOST-TAPI support
Realizing Make-roscope’s technical and commercial viability, the DOST-TAPI funded its pilot production, including the acquisition of raw materials, assembly and packaging, distribution and testing from governing bodies.
The institute gave it a grant of P123,150 under its Invention-Based Enterprise Development (IBED) Program, Mirielle Vacal of DOST-TAPI told the BusinessMirror in reply to an e-mail interview.
The project duration is seven months after it was approved by DOST-TAPI in December 2021, Vacal added.
Under the program, the DOST-TAPI has made the provision of Make-roscopes possible to target schools, organizations and institutions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
De Leon said in the JereMake web site that they celebrated the Make-roscope Initiative 2022 last April 13 for being able to distribute 1,000 keychain microscopes all over the country.
The web site identified the student organizations in a high school and 10 universities from northern Luzon to Mindanao where Make-roscopes were distributed.
“We were amazed in the outputs of each group [of students]. They appreciated science even if they have no laboratory. Students will use it in their research or thesis, and will conduct events to show its [Make-roscope’s] effectiveness,” de Leon said in Filipino.
Available through online shopping
“Until the project ends or while stocks last, Make-roscope is available on [online shopping vendor] through the JereMake page,” Vacal explained.
Checked by the BusinessMirror, the online shopping site sells it at P399 a piece.
JereMake web site also said the starter kit costs P199 but it is already out of stock.
Vacal explained that JereMake is “currently improving the product based on initial reviews from those who bought from the online shop or those who have taken part in the Make-roscope initiative.”
What’s more “the commercial model will soon be available to more online vendors and partner bookstores all over the Philippines,” Vacal added.
Market-driven innovation
“Make-roscope is not just a technical solution to a problem but a market-driven innovation, which we advocate in the institute,” said DOST-TAPI Director Atty. Marion Ivy D. Decena.
Decena pointed out that being technically and commercially viable alone may not be enough for a sure-hit commercialization, but finding the right market for the innovation is just as important.
“By simply taking a leap of faith by trusting DOST-TAPI, Make-roscope is on its way to entering a new journey toward commercialization,” Decena was quoted in the news release said.
Besides the financial assistance, DOST-TAPI has been instrumental in JereMake’s networking and building partnerships with other private companies.
“The institute’s comprehensive programs are vital to starting inventors and innovators because we don’t have much reputation in the industry. Yet DOST-TAPI puts a lot of trust in our innovations that, slowly, through that trust we gained credit in the field,” de Leon pointed out.
Together with DOST-TAPI, Make-roscope was able to fulfill the need to develop this kind of technology in the market for the students, in particular, especially with the vision of JereMake to provide Make-roscope to every Filipino student.
Affordable tool for quality education
It also anchors on the JereMake’s advocacy to provide an affordable tool for quality education, especially in public schools for free.
“Adopt this product, raise our quality of education, improve the knowledge of our children without shelling out a lot of money because Make-roscope works,” de Leon said in the news release.
Students need to experience things to be able to fully appreciate learning, particularly in the microscopic world as they might need to see a cell, for example, to understand how it actually works.
De Leon said in the JereMake web site that he was initially surprised with the intuitive response of the students with Make-roscope because when they first tried it, they needed a learning curve to get used to it.
However, when they had access to microscopic specimens or samples, they were able to get first-hand experience of basic microscopy and have integrated the experience with their academics.
Make-roscope Keychains is not just a novelty device or a hobby tool but an educational tool that can be compared to the likes of school supplies, the news release said.
“As we expect Make-roscope to be placed and seen in the local market, we offer programs of assistance in materializing this vision and in making this happen,” Decena said.
Image credits: DOST-TAPI