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Nowadays, gadgets and equipment are becoming increasingly complex and technical, but scientists have proved when it comes to microscopy - less is more.

Foldscope is an origami-based print-and-fold optical microscope that can be assembled from a single sheet of paper.

There are 30 versions, each built with varying filters and stage configurations designed to look for specific diseases, such as malaria.

The Foldscope, pictured, was created by Stanford University and all the components and lenses are embedded into a single sheet of paper. The 30 versions are each built with varying filters and stage configurations, designed to look for specific diseases, such as malaria

For example, malaria samples require a higher level of fluorescent filters.

Foldscope was designed by Prakash Lab, a research group in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University.

All the components, including micro optics, are embedded into the sheet of paper.

There are three stages - the optical stage, the illumination stage and the mask holding stage.

Once folded, there is room to place a sample slide, before these built-in stages are used to illuminate and magnify objects up to 2,000x.

It can accommodate standard glass slides, 3-inches (75mm) long, by 1 inch (25mm) wide, but Prakash said the kits come with plastic slides to improve safety.

There are three stages in the paper - the optical stage, the illumination stage and the mask holding stage. Once folded, there is room to place a standard glass sample slide before these built-in stages are used to illuminate and magnify objects up to 2,000x

These are a selection of images captured by the Foldscope including (pictured left to right) Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma cruzi, Giardia lamblia, Leishmania donovani and E. Coli and Bacillus. The Foldscope can accommodate standard glass slides, but also come with plastic slides

The paper the Foldscope is built into doesn't feature instructions; instead it has a colour-coded key that helps anyone, speaking any language to build the Foldscope.

During a TED demonstration, Prakash stood on the Foldscope and threw it around to prove how rugged it is, and because it is portable, a light can be shone through the lens to project images onto any surface.

This diagram explains how Prakash Lab was able to make the Foldscope so affordable. Each of the parts, listed in the table in the top left-hand corner, costs less than $50 (30p). This image also reveals how the different components fit within the paper

A resolution test, made using the Foldscope, shows a micron in the left-hand image and two micron beads in the right image. Researchers claim the Foldscope can be stood on and because it is portable, a light can be shone through the lens to project images onto any surface

Since the goal is to strip out all the complexity, Prakash said each specific foldscope provides one kind of imaging capability: either bright-field, reflected light, dark-field, polarization, fluorescence and projection microscopy.

Each microscope also has a fixed magnification and corresponding resolution optimised for the application.

The researchers are recruiting 10,000 beta users to test the microscopes in a variety of settings before looking to manufacture it on a wider scale.