Re: [DIYbio] Amazon unintentionally solves "low cost lab automation device" challenges

Over the years in this and related groups, those who are building lab devices rehash the same engineering tradeoffs of cost vs functionality vs ease of use.  The basic lab automation requirements come down to these major points: an electronic controller of some kind, some electronic sensors of some kind, a simple display, a simple touchscreen, flash memory for data logging, and a safe enclosure.  Various ways around these requirements are hashed & rehashed, such as offloading communication features to a laptop or web browser, either via USB or Bluetooth or Wifi, all of which add cost and reduce ease of use, while providing a few new computer networking benefits.  Consider the OpenPCR machine for example, which is expensive considering it's feature set, some of this base cost necessary due to the requirement of user controls and display (USB and LCD, and extra software).  Even the simplest lab automation device, such as a networked digital thermostat for an incubator, or a data logging pH meter, need at least a minimal user input method and a user output method. These increase the cost by a base amount, and that cost provides for rather clunky "1970's NASA" style electronics - LEDs, LCDs, 7-segment displays, some knobs and switches.  This past month with Amazon dropping the price of the lowest cost Fire tablet to $35 -- a retail price made available to Lab26 by virtue of manufacturing volumes and potential future advertising revenue -- the challenges of low cost vs ease of use vs computer networking for lab automation devices are solved, even if this product version currently has some minor quality limitations. Now if Jeff Bezos could hear the hint that the only item missing from the low end Fire to truly seal the deal to make the product into "electronic paper" is a bidirectional general purpose input/output contact on the outside of it's case (in function, similar to iPad Pro's bidirectional data contact "keyboard dock"), then the only remaining challenge, of basic interfacing to the outside world to read sensors and control transducers, would be very easy to solve in the lowest cost way.  Someone send him some email. I2C contacts would be an obvious design choice.  Imagine the OpenPCR machine with the $35 tablet docked into it's front panel, to use it's touch screen and memory card slot, instead of OpenPCR's existing display and USB port.  The more general trend of technology convergence continues: the curve favors those solutions which share in technology gained from the relentless march of better communication devices.

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## Jonathan Cline
## jcline@ieee.org
## Mobile: +1-805-617-0223
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