CentriWhirl Whirligig Centrifuge

thingiverse

This is a whirligig centrifuge! I came across a video at Stanford where a team created a simple toy as a centrifuge for disease diagnosis in 3rd world countries, and I must say, kudos to them! I thought I'd give it a try, so I designed this whirligig that can be 3D printed, laser cut or even made from cardboard. It uses zip ties to hold the tubes in place (string might work too) and some string tied to pencils with tape. This design works with 1.5 mL centrifuge tubes available on Amazon or other online suppliers. It can spin at over 5000 rpm - I'm not sure how to test it, but it should work! You can use this whirligig to extract DNA from test samples and for cool science demonstrations like getting the powder out of hot chocolate. Be patient when starting it up; you'll need a lot of revolutions before slowly pulling on it. If you want to 3D print or laser cut it, I've included .stl and .STEP files. Alternatively, you can use a cardboard template glued onto cardstock paper for a sturdy version - it might be the best option.