Makerspaces could enable widespread adoption of microfluidics
For more than a decade, scientists have publicized the potential of microfluidics to revolutionize the test and analysis of substances ranging from water to DNA. Thousands of journal articles have chronicled researchers' development of novel microfluidic devices for diagnostic tests. Miniature, self-contained analysis systems, often referred to as labs-on-a-chip, have streamlined various assays, providing near-real-time results of analyses such as glucose or pathogen detection in blood products. Any field that relies on analyzing and identifying chemical and biological elements—for example, medicine, environmental protection, and agriculture—could benefit from the rapid, onsite assessments enabled by a lab-on-a-chip. Yet, these devices remain primarily projects found in universities and research labs not products available commercially.