Stanford bioengineers develop a 20-cent, hand-powered centrifuge

Inspired by a whirligig toy, Stanford bioengineers have developed an ultra-low-cost, human-powered blood centrifuge. With rotational speeds of up to 125,000 revolutions per minute, the device separates blood plasma from red cells in 1.5 minutes, no electricity required. A centrifuge is critical for detecting diseases such as malaria, African sleeping sickness, HIV and tuberculosis. This low-cost version will enable precise diagnosis and treatment in the poor, off-the-grid regions where these diseases are most prevalent. For more info: stanford.io/2j2MDjM
"Hand-powered ultralow-cost paper centrifuge", Nature Biomedical Engineering, M. Saad Bhamla, Brandon Benson*, Chew Chai*, Georgios Katsikis, Aanchal Johri, Manu Prakash, *equal contributor.
dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41551-016-...
Correspondence: ([e-mail])

[@MichaelTaplin1st]

Brilliant application for an old toy. Terrific.

[@ElenaHaskins]

Blessed be those who outwit the Medical Profiteers.

[@jenjerx]

exactly...

[@MuphynDragon]

the important part here isn't that this toy was made thousands of years ago, but that they discovered that you can use it for medical purposes and what they can be used to help treat. stop getting caught up on the tool and look at its impact. also they did change it to allow vials to be placed and secured. it's an alteration not a completely brand new piece of technology.

[@MuphynDragon]

100C I don't understand your hostility

[@Heavygunn0r]

He is trying to be funny.

[@user-vx8qt9cd8o]

MuphynToy who cares actually, even if they did't nvent anything, they found cheap way to do what needed expensive equipment to be done. Hell, you can make one by yourself..

[@inviteyou436]

He is trying to don't laugh.

[@insethurdle88]

They didn't do anything people that use liquid cold medicine do get high use this all the time to separate the chemicals and extract it and it's also a "toy"

[@elevynpatricia3858]

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I HOPE TO DO IN THE FUTURE! I love the simplicity of the design, and the efforts to help spread technology as simple, but useful, as a $.25 centrifuge. This is awesome!

[@SahanTheMighty]

Amazing! When I was a child, we used to make those out of flattened out soda bottle lids (the ones with curly edges). Then, use the device much like an angle-grinder: when spinning, put the metal edge against large slabs/pieces of broken stone/rock and watch streams of fiery-sparkles come off the edge rubbing on the stone 😃. Amazing idea, you guys. Hope you get to make life better for millions of people, and for generations to come. 🌸🌿

[@colleenforrest7936]

Stanford engineers invent the button spinner :) Okay, putting pipette on a children's game that's been around for hundreds of years is genius. True genius is looking at something that's right in front of your nose and figuring out something different to do with it to solve a different problem

[@Aahbozz2]

You think they didn't know that this toy existed already? They literally mentioned it in the video. These people in the video are Stanford engineers for god's sake. Stop trying to downplay their invention and make yourselves seem smarter than them.

[@danielli4309]

Amazing, he is trying to show us a new whole new world but in a very cheap way.

[@prabinneupane850]

Wow I used to play with this type of toy when I was 10 . this is really cool I am really surprised that nobody had any idea about how useful it can be lol!

[@iancuelectronik]

man, i had a lot of them made from a plastic button when i was a kid... every '90 kid had one in my country.

[@michaelseeger3716]

You guys are AWESOME !!!

[@AnimeshSharma1977]

Beautiful example of how simple mathematical transformation (linear->rotational motion) can change the way technology used in molecular medicine be transformed and translated like; conducting some basic science to diagnosing disease at grassroots:)

[@AtamMardes]

I had a home-made toy like that when I was a kid.

[@mhenriday]

Wonderful work - kudos !... Henri

[@domywriting3382]

Wonderful Video! Complex things in plain language!

[@paulneilson6117]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@shreyasp3287]

He's the real inventor

[@RojeetShrestha]

Awesome work.

[@brentcos9370]

It'd be nice to see it actually process a tube of blood. Neat tool/concept.

[@julineylima4832]

When I was a kid, I played with this toy in Brazil

[@user-nm7rs2wj5x]

멋있어 타인을 위해 베풀수 있는 소신을 가지긴 힘든일일수도 있는데 본인의 업을 나눔으로 실천하시고 개발하다니.. 진짜 너무 멋지고 놀라운일인듯 종이 현미경은 정말 신의 한수 라는 말밖에.. 너무 멋있다!!!! 감동~~ 또 감동 두분의 앞날에 항시 축복이 가득하길 바랍니다~~~~ 너무 멋지고 고귀한일 실천해주셔서 고마워요

[@heavenlyjen]

⁰

[@SBCGM]

I remember we playing with this 40 years back. Ha ha ha

[@shanicem3929]

This is brilliant!

[@IndianServersUniversity]

Great...All The Best

[@neverfearchrisishere]

Is it not dangerous to put infected blood on an uncontained fast rotating disk? I'm thinking high risk of sending out of fine mist of infectious substance...

[@MuphynDragon]

neverfearchrisishere well this is for small countries with no money. this is for them to atleast have something to use that can do a job well enough.

[@neverfearchrisishere]

It doesn't matter how much money they have if the tool infects everyone in the room with deadly disease.

[@MuphynDragon]

neverfearchrisishere well that depends on how well the containers are made and what kind of protection the scientists use, but generally the people without this device are already going to be exposed to the blood disease no matter what.

[@hac8914]

SMH.... You're not putting the blood directly on the disk - the blood is in a container attached to the disk.

[@bgrm714]

The vial is securely fastened inside a pocket on the face of the disk

[@ManishKumar-xx7ny]

this guy is on a mission

[@SeattleGuy1968]

centrifugal force does the real work, here

[@marcosaduvire3588]

I totally agree, there are lots of tools which farmers need to know.

[@UrgeidoitNet]

keep it up, i dig this!

[@josephlyons2070]

Is there a way you could tell me how this is done with this particular tool and perhaps send me a way to 3D print one myself or ship one out to me for a reasonable price if you obtain functional results? I'm a health and wellness professional who doesn't need to have laboratory grade equipment, but would like to conduct basic experiments to further develop my understanding. They don't need to be ultra-controlled experiments, I can validate results later if necessary and I'm capable. Do you think using a salad spinner with some sort of 3D printed inner chamber could produce viable or functional results?

[@emmaojunga2053]

great idea.

[@catafest]

question : can you read all parameters for an effective diagnosis like equivalent device?

[@niteshjaiswar7805]

changing the world

[@chidiokoro934]

amazing

[@iraccoon8830]

Brandon Benson from Milton High School was on the team! I go to that school!

[@Goretantath]

a fun new way to tell a person theyre gonna die :D

[@searchlight18]

Good idea for places with no electricity

[@ab-yi2wf]

Is this still used currently or at other labs too?

[@dafrankensteinii6778]

awesome!

[@MatthewThrone]

So, how do we order it?

[@sanaamehmood7175]

what kind of thread did they use?

[@Dipto-win101]

Awsome!

[@NiteshKumar-sd2cz]

10000 rpm is unbelievable

[@TheUnPlayable]

125 000 rpm

[@winnichenko]

Does anyone know what the soundtrack is playing on the background? =)

[@sageq]

Package this with the paper microscope and it's a lab in your pocket.

[@alimoe1970]

How do the vials go in it?

[@ordicle6280]

Can this be used to make platelet rich plasma?

[@acrabb]

"Before us, nobody had actually understood how this toy works". Uh-huh.

[@mahnazrabbani2859]

He meant nobody had done the mathematical modeling before!

[@MrOmnos]

We have seen rain drops several times, we have seen snow flakes but do you know how they form?

[@glenncarver9049]

Fucking magnets. How do they work?

[@anarbatzoriganar]

@@glenncarver9049 ikrrr. I think it has to do with the Universal Attraction Theory like on the book the Secret. If you wish for something so much it comes to you. Those fucking metal pieces must be horny as fuck.

[@pankajgupta3755]

lol we use these type of toy in our childhood

[@hotwykinger6889]

Can i put the Disk into my Laptop, the CDR is spinning with 20.000 rpm

[@grey7603]

MacGyver would be proud.

[@Leotique]

This is tooo coool

[@nallamotukrishnachaitanya8833]

How to make them ?

[@ravamanee9545]

In our country 1st standard student also make it for fun with use of thin metal sheet And also use for cutting soft material

[@ananthshenoy5163]

i bet you used it as a centrifuge. didnt you?

[@jhetsusdhoy9469]

hi stanford what about the results? I'm thinking about to implement this in a clinic can I read this without problem? I mean comparing with an professional centrifuge

[@zig.i]

Мы такое делали в детстве из пуговицы или крыжки от лимонада. Дело было лет 20 назад lol

[@vijayanthottamkuni6848]

where can I buy this,and what is its present cost

[@anjanahere]

I need to centrifuge a sample in my lab. I'm interested to try it out..any one know any other details, pls share...

[@douglaspresilla2628]

in venezuela is sice 1970..her name is gurrufio

[@divyanshtiwari3547]

the small children of indian villages already make this stuff from coke bottle metal caps

[@labslaplataiolmos5284]

mmmm.... ver para creer!!!

[@marek-marcosvetevool1045]

using one of the oldest toys of mankid as a science equipment...clever

[@johanfaisal8613]

Hi Standford, I'm a boy from a local KL (Malaysia) school and though I may be small I have many ideas. I wanted to ask for advice regarding idea sharing and other stuff because you seem to make it look so easy. But it would be nice to say it privately so do you have an email I can talk to?

[@forrestj1268]

Calm down guys, me too played this toy since very young. The title says it all: they developed rather than invented this. It is the 'art' of packaging and ‘rigorosity’ of scientific statements in academia.

[@Delosian]

The rapid acceleration and the high RPMs would lyse most cells, creating a mess of cell parts rather than a separation into layers. In the biology labs we would use the centrifuge at about 3,000 RPM, this goes to 15,000 RPM and the speed cannot be controlled.

[@user-rx9mv1eo3f]

английские учёные выснили, что с помощью такой штуки можно не только костры разжигать

[@user-lj4sz6xu5h]

I want to work with him! so how can i work with him? please answer to me who know the way

[@gizidietsnt3888]

Its my old kid toys since 1976 in lndonesia😂

[@TrapMusicNow]

And it's "hard" to get into Stanford. K.

[@WilliamRedfield1528]

SpaceX has nothing on this design for launch applications.....

[@res1492]

If you go looking as to whether these gizmos were actually used, sent out to redcross, or villages, there is no information after 2017...this was/is a brilliant idea that could save 100000 of lives but nothing came of it????....really...if I'm wrong and just not looking in the right place please correct me

[@aleksandersuur9475]

This and the fold-scope eliminate the equipment cost barrier to diagnosing malaria, but the skill barrier is not so easily surpassed. Anyone with sufficient know how to make use of this equipment, can probably afford much better equipment to begin with. Essentially free centrifuges and microscopes are of no use to people who don't understand the concept of microorganisms and possibly can't even read and write. It's still a good try and has it's uses, especially in education, but it doesn't solve the problem of malaria diagnosis in poor countries.

[@Rodo2077]

Is a gurrufio Venezuelan toys

[@1980albatros]

I wonder how it will benefit third world countries

[@jasona7029]

dont get me wrong he is a genius but this mechanism invented long ago.

[@yournameyourname6626]

Jason Auw Not a hundred percent though

[@neuroairman]

I always wanted a way for capillary tubes to break in my face. Thanks Stanford!

[@MrOmnos]

There are plastic or pvc capillary tubes if you have never seen one.

[@rajanrajyesh6440]

yep thsts the tool I used to play with i... lol

[@dynusroot1085]

Rajan Raj Yesh. Ya in India we used to play in 10th class. lol

[@nahaponia6665]

future is now

[@Albertjoshi]

People are using this last 5000 years so why such video?

[@Baileeeeeyyy]

Because they discovered that it can be used as a cheap alternative for a blood centrifuge, possibly saving millions of people in developing countries with little money and limited electricity

[@amantin]

Two questions : 1) how can you make this keep continuously rotating only in one direction, and you can keep adding energy to it ? (like spinning mops, or vintage old spinning top ) 2) how can we incorporate it in a bicycle? 3) how about a skateboard working with this principle, where you just pull a string?

[@georgeclinton3657]

that was three questions

[@oleksiylytovka9989]

я таким в школі грався, років 15 тому. А можна ще кришку від коли зняти а на неї натягнути обмежувач (3 шт) - як пила!

[@cee164]

watch this be monopolized by a company who doesn't care about people but profit

[@BrutusPalmeira]

make something simple and complicate it, some marketing and sell it to the masses....

[@yo-yo5009]

I can spot the yo-yos! Science is fun? =D

[@canal2016luisnogueira]

music :)

[@ismailcoban7676]

Yav biz bunu çocukken yapıyordukta annem kızıyordu eve getirme şu çer çöpü diye anasını satayım bi de şu adamlara bak bayağı fizikten sürtünmeden felan bahsediyolar. Ben bunu yaparken ilkokula gitmiyodum.

[@lukaterzic5874]

song name?

[@alexkkallweit3202]

Did you find it yet? The song is awesome

[@lukaterzic5874]

still nothing...

[@brujo_millonario]

What about using solar power? Or if you don't want to use electricity, a mechanism powered by a bicycle?

[@anassnazeer8187]

o come on this has been my childhood toy i made it out of cardboard

[@terrystraus3686]

what blood tests would be run with centrifuged blood in a place with no electricity? Wouldn't folks also then lack access to the tests needed to analyze the centrifuged blood? Not attacking, just asking because I want to present on this discovery to my physiology class. Thanks.

[@ananthshenoy5163]

search for foldoscope.

[@HolahkuTaigiTWFormosanDiplomat]

0.0

[@aaliyamemon668]

plz could you explain this in hindi

[@pariganesh4]

Indians are everywhere....

[@gams016]

gurrufio

[@NoneOfyourBusiness468]

But a lab that need a blood centrifuge has proparbly electricity... lamps, refrigerators and other gear that need electricity so why on earth would they need a centrifuge with no electricity required? Or is fridge connected to a bike?

[@umsoonmin]

because they are expensive.....

[@Baileeeeeyyy]

Countries with limited electricity

[@NSAwatchesME]

nice 1 indians

[@Cpt-Falco]

Saying "price-point" is an immediate disqualification of anything you ever have to say.

[@zlovredniyTip]

Developed something what existed already. Nice. When will you invent plagiarism check? Good job though on realizing that you can use this as a centrifuge for blood.

[@patjohn775]

nobody understood the Mathmatics? That's a lie

[@dynusroot1085]

Lol. In India we already developed this at the age of 13. We used to play with it.

[@MrShinnigami]

Not only India, this is ancient toy in many countries.

[@boopersdos735]

and all it is to you is a toy, nothing more, lol

[@mohammadmohd113]

the point isn't that they invented this toy. It's been around for hundreds of years. We know it isn't new. But no one knew it could be used as a centrifuge. Stop trying to diminish their success.

[@glenjacksparrow]

You need not laugh out loud. It's an application of the toy that was made years ago. Appreciate it if you could.

[@TheArtificiallyIntelligent]

Patent it and sell it for $1,000!