Hackuarium

Hackuarium is an open, community-driven biology & technology laboratory (“bio-hacking space”) based in Ecublens, Switzerland (Greater Lausanne area). It aims to democratise science by enabling DIY biology, open hardware bio-tools, interdisciplinary work, and public participation in scientific experimentation. 

Why it matters

• Hackuarium provides access to lab infrastructure, tools and a community which might otherwise be inaccessible to smaller labs, independent researchers or citizen scientists.
• It supports open-hardware scientific tools (for example, low-cost spectrophotometers, bioreactors, incubators) which reduce barrier to entry for experimental research. 
• It fosters interdisciplinary, collaborative, low-cost, reproducible science: key features if a lab is looking to adopt open science practices, resource-efficient workflows, or community outreach.
• For training students or early-career researchers, Hackuarium is a model of how to set up open labs, experiment design, and sharing results with transparency.

How it works (in broad strokes)

1. Members and participants gather at the Hackuarium open lab (weekly meetings, e.g., Wednesdays at 19:00) at their facility in Ecublens. 
2. Projects are defined and developed: for example the “Simple Spectro” low-cost spectrophotometer, open-hardware incubator, bioreactor, pH meter. 
3. Projects are documented openly, code/designs shared on GitHub or documentation sites, so that others can replicate, adapt or collaborate. 
4. Outreach and collaborative events (community science, workshops) promote public engagement in biology/tech, and lower the barrier to precise scientific instrumentation.

Key features & advantages

• Open-hardware & open-science ethos: Designs and documentation are openly shared, enabling labs to build low-cost versions of scientific tools (e.g., the spectrophotometer at ~US$30 per unit as described). 
• Community laboratory environment: Provides a physical space where people can meet, share tools, collaborate, and learn together.
• Cost-efficient experimental tools: Because the DIY tools are low-cost yet sufficiently precise, smaller labs (or labs in resource-constrained environments) can adopt them.
• Documentation & reproducibility: Clear project pages, tutorials and open repositories make it easier to repeat or adapt experimental setups.

Limitations & things to watch

• Although tools are designed to be “good enough” for many experiments, they may not always match the sensitivity, calibration or robustness of high-end commercial lab instrumentation—so one must assess suitability for the research question.
• The context is community/DIY-oriented: certain regulatory, safety, or accreditation requirements may be less formal than large institutional labs—so labs planning formal or regulated work should check compliance.
• Being based in Switzerland, some activities (physical access, membership) may be location-specific, remote collaboration/adoption is possible via open documentation, but local access may be limited.
• As with any lab/space sharing model, scheduling, access to equipment, oversight, safety training may require managed workflows—especially if a partner lab adapts the model.