Hardware in iGEM should make synthetic biology based on standard parts easier, faster, better, or more accessible to our community.
Preston is developing blueprints (and apparently physical prototypes) for a clinostat, which was supposedly important for this project. In fact we don't have any biological sample to actually put INTO the clinostat so far as I know, but just building the darn thing should earn Preston a commendation of some kind. Strong competitors for this prize will demonstrate utility, user testing, and easy reproducibility, and I don't know if we can do that in time.
Visit the Special Prizes page for more information.
In addition to encouraging teams to work with DNA parts and build biological devices in the lab, iGEM also encourages other types of technical solutions for synthetic biology. This can include physical devices (hardware) related to robotic assembly, microfluidics, low-cost measurement devices, to name a few examples. There are many exciting opportunities for hardware innovation in synthetic biology.