Editing Low-Cost Diagnostics

[[File:Microfluidic01.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Microfluidic Chip]]

 

Analytical devices can be produced at very low cost from simple materials. Applications are vast revolutionary, and include medical tests, environmental sensing, agriculture, soil science and many more. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfluidics Microfluidics] refers to a set of technologies that control the flow of minute amounts of liquids or gases—typically measured in nano- and picoliters — in a miniaturized system. With these "chips", room-sized diagnostic testing equipment can be shrunk down to the size of a postage stamp. 

==Materials and Equipment Used== 
consumables: blotter paper, regular paper, wax paper, [http://www.shrinkydinks.com/ shrinky-dink], transparency film, cotton thread, sewing needles, wood sticks, [http://www.physorg.com/news195910096.html Jell-O], ?beeswax?, 

equipment: syringes, cell phone cameras, plastic lenses for cheap microscopes,

==Applications==
* medicine: immediate testing ("point-of-care"), genetic testing and research, pathogens 
* agriculture: plant breeding, pests, nutrition, 
* environmental sensing: water testing, air quality, toxins
* geoscience: soil science, mining   
* energy: development of biofuels

==George Whitesides, Harvard University==
In his legendary career in chemistry, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M._Whitesides George Whitesides] has been a pioneer in [http://web.archive.org/web/20110416043805/http://gmwgroup.harvard.edu:80/research.html microfabrication and nanoscale self-assembly]. Now, he's fabbing a diagnostic lab on a chip. 

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==Further Reading== 
* [http://www.gizmag.com/disposable-microfluidic-devices-created-using-regular-wax-paper/17694/ Disposable microfluidic devices created using regular wax paper] 
* [http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2008/01/Shrinky-Dink_microfluidics.asp Shrinky Dink® microfluidics] - academic paper [http://shrink.eng.uci.edu/papers/2008_Grimes.pdf here] 
* Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfluidics Microfluidics] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_on_a_chip Lab-on-a-chip]

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