Paperfuge: Transforming Health Care

Paperfuge is an assemblage of paper and strings.

Inspired by the design of millenia-old toy, Paperfuge is a handpowered centrifuge that can spin biological samples at thousands of revolutions per minute (rpm). But unlike a centrifuge, Paperfuge does not require electricity, complicated machinery, maintenance or even money to operate. Paperfuge is an ultra-low cost human powered centrifuge.

"There are a billion people on this planet who live with no electricity, no infrastructure, no roads and they have the same kind of health care needs that you and I have" Manu Prakash says, whose lab at Stanford developed centrifuge with these people in mind.

Paperfuge can whip blood into circles at up to 125,00 rpm, which is enough to separate plasma from the blood sample in just 90 seconds. Paperfuge produces a force of 30,000 Gs. Manu Prakash says, "To the best of my knowledge it's the fastest spinning object by human power"

Paperfuge: A Paper Centrifuge for QBC Capillary Tubes | Lab On The Cheap

A centrifuge is critical for detecting diseases such as Malaria, HIV and TB. This low-cost version will enable precise diagnosis and treatment in the remote, off the grid regions where these diseases are most prevalent.

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