WaterScope Project

In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. Waterborne diseases kill more than 1.6 million young children each year; to put things into context, 3 kids are killed every minute. It does not stop here- 1 in 9 fellow human beings worldwide worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water, half of the hospital beds in the world are filled by water related diseases.

Water testing in the field is rather than in a laboratory is a challenge. Samples are gathered and taken back to the lab, growth media added and the specimen is incubated in a constant temperature to see if bacteria colonies are growing. This is typically time-consuming, requires specialized equipment and cannot be performed by scientifically unskilled workers.

WaterScope aims to change that by incorporating a fast and inexpensive water testing method that quantifies waterborne bacteria on site, within 1-2 hours. This is done by concentrating the bacteria from a water sample and imaging their growth during incubation using a low-cost 3D printed base and a modified Raspberry Pi camera which acts as a microscope by inverting the lens .

In this project we are challenged to:

1. Develop an alternative method to access the images captured by the RPi camera (currently shown on a Raspberry Pi 7’’ touch screen LCD)
2. Interface between an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi
3. Investigate replacing the "Fergboard" with an Arduino Uno and CNC shield

Please check out development tab to find out more on what we achieved.