Breaking Laboratory Limits
We have mentioned “laboratory conditions” on more than one occasion, but it is a very broad definition. The first things that come to mind are matters like sterility and safety, however, there is also the detail of having the basic equipment that allows experiments to be developed. Many schools around the globe do their best within the limits of their laboratories, but the PocketLab sensor proposes to dissolve those limits by drastically simplifying the way information is collected.
A quarter century ago, accessing instruments like accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers could be complicated for some people in certain regions of the world. Today we find these elements and more inside any smartphone. The difference is that such a smartphone claims exclusive use of the sensors, when they could do much more in specialized and flexible environments. For a long time they have been seen as unnecessary components for the functioning of a smartphone, but consider the possibility of applying sensors to things like a rocket taking off, an object in free fall, another vibrating and rotating, or being exposed to cold and heat. How much information slips through our fingers for lack of access...?
PocketLab’s Features and Availability
The team behind the PocketLab project seeks to break the pattern in a very interesting way: offering a ready-to-use multi-sensor on the market that can be paired with any mobile device via Bluetooth in seconds. Once configured, PocketLab immediately begins to collect information. Temperature, acceleration, pressure and magnetic fields are some of the examples within PocketLab’s reach. Its wireless range is 100 meters, it can withstand a free fall of 1.8 meters with its external protection, and a simple CR2032 battery allows it to run for a not inconsiderable 80 hours.
PocketLab had a good run on Kickstarter last March, and today it is already available to the general public, so there are no major delays in delivery. Android, iOS and Chromebook are the supported platforms at this time, and anyone wanting a sensor will have to pay the sum of $98. If the idea is for the PocketLab to take some hits (in the name of science, of course), the protective case priced at $9 is highly recommended. Personally, I would like PocketLab to reach a lower price in the future, especially if we have schools in mind, but the project is young, and there is plenty of room for improvement.
