Hi everyone,
I’m Antonio Anaya, an open-source advocate collaborating with the OpenFlexure project through NLNet, currently migrating the web UI from Vue 2 to Vue 3.
I have a list of pending posts to share, but I’m starting with this one at the top because it’s a nice milestone: The Open Hardware Summer School.
Background
For over 10 years, I’ve worked alongside a group of researchers in Chiapas, Mexico, exploring the equipment used for the sub-clinical diagnosis of cattle. Dairy production is the backbone of our region’s food supply and economy (we are the third-largest dairy-producing state in all of Mexico).
Right now, our research is heavily focused on tropical diseases. Warming weather has expanded the reach of diseases like leptospirosis and caused a surge in ticks and screw-worm flies. These are terrible news for cows and humans alike, serving as major vectors for zoonotic diseases.
I’ve previously worked with other DIY lab instruments, like the Spectral Workbench and the Field Dissection Microscope from the now-inactive PublicLab. My journey with OpenFlexure began during the Fab Academy in 2021, and I officially started with an IORodeo kit back in 2023. Today, I build my own microscopes from scratch and supply them directly to local research labs.
2026 Open Hardware Workshops
As of March 2026, I’ve started organizing small workshops and introductory talks for students at the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of UNACH. This is an effort to integrate tropical disease and applied physics research with open-source hardware solutions. I began this as a volunteer initiative, but was later able to secure a micro-fund from the Global Innovation Gathering in Partnership with Judith Neilson Foundation.
Open Flexure Microscope enabling research
I’ve successfully produced and delivered two OFMs (one Upright and one High Definition version). My commitment with the GIG fund has officially kicked off! While the original plan was to teach the entire production process right from the start, I’ve pivoted to focus on teaching how to use the microscopes first. The hands-on production workshops will take place later, around September.
These units will help drive research on the physical properties of droplets and coatings used in animal health diagnostics. I’m incredibly excited about what we are doing, but I need to hold off on sharing the exact details until the formal publications are out, in accordance with protocol.
The Open Hardware Summer School
This program follows the spirit of the Open Hardware Makers program and the Fab Academy, but with a smaller, more directly applied impact.
The primary challenges we face here are the high costs of lab diagnostics, the unavailability of scanning microscopes, and limited academic budgets.
The solution isn’t just providing the microscope; it’s teaching the fundamentals of hardware prototyping and digital manufacturing. We use OpenFlexure to kickstart physics students into the DIY Lab Instruments mindset.
Students will collaborate directly with veterinarian bovine researchers and dairy producers to create small diagnostic units. Currently, transporting milk or blood samples to a central lab is highly expensive due to fuel consumption and strict refrigeration requirements. Implementing mobile diagnostic units will offset these conventional costs. The impact of these mobile units will be measured, reported, and shared once the program concludes around February 2027.
Sharing with love from the Southern Mayan region of Mexico.
Antonio Anaya (kny5)