Turning your PC into a science lab

Imagine an apparatus the size of a mobile phone through which students can conduct more than 50 scientific experiments. The Inter-University Accelerator Centre, Delhi, an autonomous research facility of UGC has introduced ExpEyes Junior, a cell phone-sized computer interfaced device that can aid students perform about 100 experiments, ranging from high-school to post-graduate level.

The compact device, which is powered by USB port of the PC or laptop, will not only be easy on the pockets but also on the wallet, according to Dr Ajith Kumar, a scientist working with the centre.

“The device is similar to the ExpEyes we released in 2011, which was as big as a hard disk and you can use it to conduct mainly physics experiments and also electronics and electrical experiments. This one, releasing this month, costs Rs1,600 only, so colleges and universities can afford it,” he says.

The apparatus has a wave generator, frequency counter and a low frequency 4 channel oscilloscope. It can easily be hooked to the computer or the laptop to compute the data that is collected through the device.

“It is the gateway between the experiment and the computer. For example, if there is  heat experiment that requires someone to check at what rate a liquid cools down, the box will collect the data through its sensors and it can be uploaded onto the computer and then processed,” he adds.

This device is perfect for schools and colleges where the culture of research is dwindling, according to Kumar. “Theory has taken more precedence to actual experiments that have to be conducted in the lab. In case of some colleges and schools, the equipment is old and are not replaced due to cost problems when it breaks down. Now, here is a device where you can complete more than 50 experiments,” he explains. To compute data, Kumar says that users have to download a programming language called Python, which is available free of cost on the internet.

More should know: Popularising the ExpEyes is one of the main agenda of the centre with teachers and faculty members from top colleges in the country taking part in a six-day training programme slated to take place in October. “There are about 20 faculty members coming in for the training and about five of them are from Karnataka itself. We will be teaching them the programming language as well as the experiments that can be conducted through this apparatus. We also teach them to develop and design their own experiments,” he adds.

The popularity for quality devices is on the rise and the centre will rise to the occasion. “About 500 pieces of the last version of ExpEyes are currently in circulation with about 100 of them in institutes across Europe. We are in production to make about 1,000 of them in the first batch,” he adds.