The M.B.T.S. plate scanner is an open source and 3D printed plate scanner created by students to make the technology more accessible. It uses a digital microscope and stepper motors to map petri dishes. The group aims to send tardigrades, or water bears, to the moon as the first lunar colony to advance their goal of space exploration. They plan to market and sell the plate scanner to raise funds for their tardigrade space mission.

1. Open Source Plate Scanners
Moon Bears to Space
2017
Why Open Source?
Currently, plate scanners can range anywhere from $2,000 to
$129,000. Sky-high prices are what keep amateur biologists from
gaining access to this essential piece of equipment. This is the same
problem that our team was faced with. As a result, we decided to
design our own plate scanner and make it open source so anyone like
us could have access to a plate scanner, but only for a fraction of the
price.
Product Features and Mechanisms
The M.B.T.S. plate scanner is a dual-axis plate scanner that uses a
digital microscope to map out micro-organisms on petri dishes. With
a single keystroke, the plate scanner executes a programmed set of
movements that move the plate scanner on either the y-axis or the
x-axis to take photos that can be put together and observed. It is also
3D printed and programmable. The plate scanner works by having
two arduinos and motor shields connect to two different stepper
motors which control the X and Y-axis of the plate scanner. The X and
Y-axis of the plate scanner move up, down, left, and right to map the
entire petri dish. To begin taking pictures with the M.B.T.S. plate
scanner, run the program that came with the plate scanner within the
arduinos. Then press the assigned button that will execute the
needed commands to map the petri dish.
Our Story
M.B.T.S. is a group of students from Summit Denali High School in
Sunnyvale, California that intern with Dr. Sean Casey from the Silicon
Valley Space Center. We are working towards our long term goal of
being able to make tardigrades the first ever lunar colony in history.
Our philosophy is that because the tardigrades were one of the first
ever organisms on Earth, they should also have the right of being the
first colony on the moon.
Donation and Marketing
In the future we hope to begin marketing and selling the plate
scanner in order to raise money and reach our ultimate goal of
sending water bears to space. We want water bears to become moon
bears!
$40.00 - By donating $40.00 you will receive both the instructions and
the list of materials needed to build the plate scanner and the files
necessary to #D print any of the parts needed to build it. You will also
receive the software necessary to run the M.B.T.S. plate scanner.
$400.00 - By donating $400.00 the M.B.T.S. group will ship all of the
necessary parts and instructions in order to build the plate scanner.
$800.00 - By donating $800.00 the M.B.T.S. group will build the plate
scanner for you and ship it to your address.
Contact and Follow Us
Moon Bears To Space m.b.t.s2020@gmail.commoonbearstospace@MoonBears2Space