Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
10:34
Designing and Implementing Nervous System Simulations on LEGO Robots
Published on: May 25, 2013
15.2K
LEGO® as a versatile platform for building reconfigurable low-cost lab equipment
Diane N Jung1, Kailey E Shara2, Carson J Bruns1,2
1Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 12, 2025
Summary
Low-cost LEGO® Technic™ equipment offers sustainable alternatives for scientific automation. These modular tools provide significant cost savings and comparable performance to commercial lab equipment, proving useful for budget-conscious researchers.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
- Engineering
Background:
- Conventional laboratory automation equipment is often expensive, bulky, and raises sustainability concerns.
- Emerging low-cost automation strategies include microfluidics, open-hardware, 3D printing, and LEGO® products.
- LEGO® bricks offer modularity, enabling disassembly, re-purposing, and reuse, aligning with sustainability goals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of utilizing LEGO® Technic™ components for laboratory automation.
- To develop and characterize LEGO®-based alternatives for essential lab equipment.
- To compare the performance of LEGO®-based tools against their commercial counterparts.
Main Methods:
- Construction of three distinct LEGO® Technic™ laboratory tools: a syringe pump, an orbital shaker, and a microcentrifuge.
- Characterization of the performance of these custom-built devices.
- Synthesis and isolation of calcium carbonate microparticles using both LEGO®-based and commercial equipment for comparative analysis.
Main Results:
- The developed LEGO®-based tools (syringe pump, orbital shaker, microcentrifuge) share common components and can be built in series or parallel configurations at a low cost (<$174 USD).
- Comparative synthesis of calcium carbonate microparticles yielded similar results between LEGO®-based and commercial equipment.
- The LEGO®-based orbital shaker demonstrated enhanced capabilities by allowing custom shake profiles, leading to a broader range of particle characteristics compared to commercial options.
Conclusions:
- LEGO®-based laboratory equipment presents a viable, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative to traditional tools.
- The reusability and modularity of LEGO® components make them attractive for laboratories prioritizing budget, space, and environmental impact.
- This approach extends the application of LEGO® beyond STEM education into practical research settings.
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