LEGO® as a versatile platform for building reconfigurable low-cost lab equipment

Laboratory equipment is critical for automating tasks in modern scientific research, but often limited by high costs, large footprints, and sustainability concerns. Emerging strategies to provide low-cost research automation tools include microfluidic devices, open-hardware devices, 3D printing, and LEGO® products. LEGO®-based equipment may be advantageous with respect to sustainability, since their inherent modularity enables disassembly, re-purposing and re-use. To explore the feasibility and cost savings of replacing conventional lab equipment with LEGO®-based alternatives, we developed and characterized the performance of three LEGO® TechnicTM laboratory tools: a syringe pump, an orbital shaker, and a microcentrifuge. These three machines share 384 pieces in common and can be constructed in series (687 pieces, <$83 USD) or in parallel (1215 pieces, <$174 USD). As a proof of concept, calcium carbonate microparticles were synthesized and isolated using the LEGO®-based and analogous commercial equipment, yielding comparatively similar results. Moreover, the ability to program custom shake profiles for the LEGO®-based orbital shaker gave access to a wider range of particle characteristics than the commercial shaker. We propose that the high cost savings and reusability of LEGO®-based lab tools extends beyond their well-established efficacy in K-12 STEM education to an attractive resource for budget-, space- and/or sustainability-conscious laboratories.