A Simple Laser-Based Device for Simultaneous Microbial Culture and   Absorbance Measurement
  In this work we present a device specifically designed to study microbial growth with several applications related to environmental microbiology and other areas of research as astrobiology. The Automated Measuring and Cultivation device (AMC-d) enables semi-continuous absorbance measurements directly during cultivation. It can measure simultaneously up to 16 samples. Growth curves using low and fast growing microorganism were plotted, including: Escherichia coli, and Haloferax volcanii, an halophilic archaeon. 
X. C. Abrevaya, E. Cort\'on, O. Areso, P. J. D. Mauas
physics.ins-det physics.bio-ph q-bio.QM