MAPLE PLAIN,
Minn. – Dec. 28, 2011 – The
latest recipient of the Proto Labs Cool Idea!
Award, SkyLight, aims to make a big impact
on global healthcare and science education. Proto Labs – the leading
online and technology-enabled manufacturer of quick-turn prototype and
short-run parts – provided their services to help co-founders, Andy Miller and
Tess Bakke, launch their product internationally.
SkyLight is a device that connects any smartphone to any
microscope. This universal plastic mount allows older microscopes to be
upgraded to the digital age, and can help transform global healthcare,
telemedicine, science education and research capabilities. The device enables
scientists, doctors, teachers and students to use technology already at their
disposal in new ways. Using the Skylight, people around the world are able to
share images and videos via their smartphone. Skype or FaceTime can also be used
to collaborate in real-time, by enabling images from the microscope to be
clearly transmitted to others via the smartphone. With the help of the
SkyLight, a healthcare worker in a third world country can capture and send
diagnostic images to a trained expert able to make a vital diagnosis. As a Cool
Idea! Award recipient, Proto Labs provided SkyLight with CNC machining for
prototyping, followed by injection molding tooling and the accompanying plastic
parts.
“SkyLight offers users in a variety of fields the ability to
digitally capture and share scientific discoveries that may otherwise not be
seen and explored by others. This allows the advancement of not only science,
but research, education and even hobbyist photographers,” said Proto Labs
founder and CTO Larry Lukis. “An intuitive product that is designed to further
enhance healthcare, telemedicine and science education on a global level is
exactly the type of innovative thinking we want to recognize with the Cool
Idea! Award.”
“The SkyLight connects new technology to old, allowing
scientific images to be captured and securely transmitted to anyone of any
age,” said SkyLight co-founder Andy Miller. “This award is especially exciting
for us because Proto Labs helps to keep the total production cost minimal
enough for this to be used as an educational resource throughout the world.”
SkyLight
has received critical support on Kickstarter, to date receiving more than
$18,000 in pledges from more than 200 backers in the community to aid in the
products manufacturing, packaging and distribution. Pre-orders are available
through SkyLights Kickstarter page until January 2. For every five SkyLights
purchased, one will be donated for global health or educational purposes.
Cool Idea! Award
is an award program offered by Proto Labs that gives product designers the
opportunity to bring innovative products to life. During 2011, Proto Labs
provided an aggregate of
up to $100,000 worth of prototyping and short-run production services to award
recipients. The program will be continuing throughout 2012. For more
information, visit www.protolabs.com/coolidea.
About Proto Labs
Proto Labs is a leading online and technology-enabled quick-turn manufacturer
of low-volume CNC-machined and injection molded custom parts for prototyping
and short-run production. The company provides “Real Parts, Really Fast” to
product developers worldwide and has two quick-turn services in North America,
Europe and Japan:
Firstcut (www.firstcut.com) and CNC machining and
Protomold (www.protomold.com) injection molding.
Both are capable of providing parts in as fast as one business day. Product
developers who use Proto Labs for prototypes and short-run production can
upload a 3D CAD file at any one of Proto Labs online sites, get an interactive
quotation and place an order for Proto Labs services directly online. For more
information, visit: www.protolabs.com.
Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT
