Build your own biofilm imaging system for under $500.

What is it about?

Studying how bacteria grow in communities called biofilms is crucial for understanding infections, antibiotic resistance, and industrial biofouling. However, the specialized microscopy equipment needed to track biofilm development over time typically costs tens of thousands of dollars, putting this research out of reach for many laboratories and educational institutions. We developed LOTUS (A low-cost time-lapse automated imaging system for spatio-temporal analysis of microbial colony or biofilm development) - an open-source, automated imaging platform built from a Raspberry Pi computer, standard camera components, and 3D-printed parts. For under $500, LOTUS can automatically capture images of growing biofilms every few minutes over days or weeks, allowing researchers to track how bacterial communities develop and how different genes turn on and off during growth.

Featured Image

Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash

Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our system is fully open-source, meaning anyone can build their own using our freely available designs, code, and instructions on GitHub. We tested LOTUS by studying E. coli biofilms and demonstrated that it can reliably measure biofilm growth and gene expression patterns comparable to commercial systems. Who can benefit from this work: • Research laboratories with limited budgets seeking biofilm analysis capabilities • Educational institutions teaching microbiology and biofilm biology • Researchers in resource-limited settings who need accessible scientific tools • Scientists studying antibiotic resistance, microbial ecology, or synthetic biology Key applications: • Screening bacterial strains for biofilm formation • Teaching students about microbial community development • Studying how bacteria respond to antibiotics or environmental changes • Analyzing gene expression dynamics in bacterial populations or develop your own thanks to LOTUS customizability

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