Emerging assays in droplet microfluidics require the measurement of parameters such as drop size, velocity, trajectory, shape deformation, fluorescence intensity, and others. While micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV) related techniques are suitable for measuring flow using tracer particles, no tool exists tracking droplets at granularity a single entity. This paper presents morphometry (DMV), digital video processing software time-resolved analysis. Droplets identified through series...

The desire to make microfluidic technology more accessible the biological research community has led notion of "modular microfluidics", where users can build a fluidic system using toolkit building blocks. This paper applies modular approach for performing droplet-based screening, including four integral steps library generation, storage, mixing, and optical interrogation. Commercially available cross-junctions are used drop flexible capillary tubing tee-junctions serial mixing. Optical...

This paper describes how Marangoni flows of various forms can be generated in thin liquid films for the purposes microfluidic manipulation.Several components, including traps, channels, filters and pumps, manipulating aqueous droplets suspended a film oil on blank, unpatterned substrates are demonstrated.These 'virtual' devices because they have no physical structure; accomplish their function entirely by localized variations surface tension (Marangoni flows) created non-contact manner heat...

Particle concentration is a key unit operation in biochemical assays. Although there are many techniques for particle continuous-phase microfluidics, relatively few available multiphase (plug-based) microfluidics. Existing approaches generally require external electric or magnetic fields together with charged magnetized particles. This paper reports passive technique water-in-oil plugs which relies on the interaction between sedimentation and recirculating vortices inherent to plug flow...

It is well known that biological systems respond to chemical signals as physical stimuli. The workhorses of high throughput screening, microplates and pipetting robots, are suited for screening stimuli; however, there fewer options stimuli, particularly those which involve temporal patterns. This paper presents an optical microplate photonic high-throughput screening. system provides addressable intensity control LED light emission in each well, operates on standard black-wall clear-bottom...

Cells transmit and receive information via signalling pathways. A number of studies have revealed that is encoded in the temporal dynamics these pathways has highlighted how pathway architecture can influence propagation signals time space. The functional properties also be exploited by synthetic biologists to enable precise control cellular physiology. Here, we characterised response a bacterial light-responsive, two-component system oscillating varying frequencies. We found acted as...

Engineering microfluidic devices relies on the ability to manufacture sub-100 micrometer fluidic channels. Conventional lithographic methods provide high resolution but require costly exposure tools and outsourcing of masks, which extends turnaround time several days. The desire accelerate design/test cycles has motivated rapid prototyping channels; however, many these (e.g., laser cutters, craft fused deposition modeling) have feature sizes hundred microns or more. In this paper, we...

The authors show that a variety of controlled flow patterns, including toroidal cells and surface doublets, can be generated in 80–400μm thick liquid films by placing scanning microscopy probes with integrated heaters just above the (<400μm separation). project sharp temperature gradients on which drive Marangoni flow. Flow velocities approaching 3000μm∕s are experimentally demonstrated length scales 20–200μm <20mW input power. For liquids such as water oil, tension coefficient...

This article introduces a scanning probe lithography technique in which ultracompliant thermal probes are used the selective thermochemical patterning of commercially available photoresist. The micromachined single-probe and multiprobe arrays include thin-film metal resistive heater sensor sandwiched between two layers polyimide. low spring constant (<0.1N∕m) high isolation provided by polyimide shank is suitable for contact mode across soft resists without force feedback control....

This paper presents a contactless droplet manipulation system that relies on thermally generated Marangoni flows. Programmable 2-D control of aqueous microdroplets suspended in an oil film plain featureless glass substrate is achieved using 128-pixel heater array 100-500 mum above the layer. The heaters generate surface temperature perturbations (<25degC), resulting local flows can move droplets either push or pull mode. Programmed movement by sequential activation heaters, with digital...

Microdroplet systems can drastically reduce costs and increase throughput in high screening (HTS) assays. While droplets are well suited for biomolecular screening, cell-based screens more problematic because eukaryotes typically require attachment to solid supports maintain viability function. This paper describes an economical, off-the-shelf microfluidic system which encapsulates eukaryotic cells gelatinous alginate capsules the purpose of HTS. The flow-through consists i) a cross...

Understanding the hydrodynamics of liquid-liquid slug flow is important in emerging field plug-based microfluidics; however, subtle aspects vortex geometry are still not comprehensively understood. This paper discusses deformation dependent vortices that develop inside a water-in-oil as it flows through channel. In contrast to prior studies, our simulations and experiments on reveal multiple moving slug, caused by hemispherical caps Laplace pressures. These appear front rear plug at...

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) relies on low-cost, low-power, wearable sensors for continuous physiological assessment. Photoplethysmographic (PPG) generally require >;10 components, occupy an area >;300 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> , consume mW power, and cost >;$20 USD. Although the principle of PPG sensing is straightforward, in practice, a robust implementation requires careful design including optical...

This paper describes an array of micromachined thermal probes for scanning microscopy which the structural design and choice materials virtually eliminate need z-axis mechanical feedback in contact mode scans. The high compliance accommodates significant topographical variation sample surface prevents damage to soft samples. Thin film metal bolometers are molded into tips at end each cantilever array, sandwiched between two layers polyimide that serves as material. overhang a Si substrate on...

This paper discusses the propulsion and steering of a floating mini-robot based on thermal Marangoni flow. The normal component surface tension force keeps robot liquid surface, while localized heating results in tangential flows which propel robot. Lift modeling shows that six legs 1 cm long 300 mum diameter generate lift 7.56 mN. Simulations suggest 0.638 mN per leg can be generated for heater temperature 60degC. Preliminary experiments using 2times1.5 <sup...

An approach for monitoring human activities and correlated postures using an earlobe-worn wearable sensor a deep learning algorithm is proposed. The herein-used miniaturized called TRACE to be mounted on earlobe, which smaller movements are expected compared with common locations devices. This work adopts both biological [heart rate (HR)] physical [acceleration (ACC)] signals that simultaneously recorded in real time. raw data sensor-fused, adequately labeled, processed, trained by...

This paper introduces a technique for generating toroid-shaped convective vortices in thin (80-400 /spl mu/m) layers of oil. Driven by micromachined heat sources suspended 5-250 mu/m above the oil surface, are used to trap weed pollen with 25 diameter and microdroplets water diameters ranging from 2-50 mu/m. The speed flow pattern can be controlled input power source air gap between while radius collection region is determined primarily thickness layer. Flow velocities up 1700 mu/m/sec have...

This paper describes several microfluidic components, including channels, filters, traps, and pumps, for manipulating aqueous droplets suspended in a film of oil on blank, unpatterned substrates. These "virtual" devices have no physical structure; they accomplish their function entirely by localized Marangoni flows created non-contact manner heat sources just above the liquid surface. Various flow patterns can be engineered through geometric design size scales ranging from 10–1,000 μm....

A contactless programmable fluidic processor utilizing Marangoni flows is presented. Two dimensional control of microdroplets suspended in oil achieved using a 128-pixel heater array 100-500 μm above the layer. The heaters create surface temperature perturbations (<7°C simulated), resulting local recirculating which can move droplets either push or pull mode. Programmed movement by sequential activation heaters. Addressible each provided digital circuitry and graphical interface. Droplets...

Flow cytometers are widely used to rapidly measure characteristics of single cells. Typical laser-based instruments provide throughputs >10,000 events/s; however, the number measured features is typically small and apply entire cell volume. Imaging flow (IFC) rely instead on 2D images objects, providing hundreds millions spatially resolved features. However, throughput IFCs lower (several thousand events/s) due computational overhead image processing. Here, we demonstrate a GPU-accelerated...