However, wide variability in the effect of the light pulses was also observed, with more motile Volvox tending to be more strongly inhibited by the light. This heterogeneity is unavoidable in biological systems, further strengthening the need for tailored control of individual agents made possible using the DOME.
Cost and accessibility
One of the primary aims of the DOME is to provide an accessible platform for optical interaction with microscale agents. While comparative systems have been proposed previously, none provide a fully integrated device and most provide little to no documentation to enhance reproducibility. The DOME is truly open source, with the STL files required to fabricate the device available
online along with protocols detailing the computational setup. In addition, a video tutorial showing the step by step construction process is available (Figure
\ref{295740}).