Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koç University, Sariyer, Istanbul, 34450, Turkey.
Biosens Bioelectron. 2024 May 15;252:116130. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116130. Epub 2024 Feb 13.
Microfluidic systems find widespread applications in diagnostics, biological research, chemistry, and engineering studies. Among their many critical parameters, flow rate plays a pivotal role in maintaining the functionality of microfluidic systems, including droplet-based microfluidic devices and those used in cell culture. It also significantly influences microfluidic mixing processes. Although various flow rate measurement devices have been developed, the challenge remains in accurately measuring flow rates within customized channels. This paper presents the development of a 3D-printed smartphone-based flow velocity meter. The 3D-printed platform is angled at 30° to achieve transparent flow visualization, and it doesn't require any external optical components such as external lenses and filters. Two LED modules integrated into the platform create a uniform illumination environment for video capture, powered directly by the smartphone. The performance of our platform, combined with a customized video processing algorithm, was assessed in three different channel types: uniform straight channels, straight channels with varying widths, and vessel-like channel patterns to demonstrate its versatility. Our device effectively measured flow velocities from 5.43 mm/s to 24.47 mm/s, with video quality at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second, for which the measurement range can be extended by adjusting the frame rate. This flow velocity meter can be a useful analytical tool to evaluate and enhance microfluidic channel designs of various lab-on-a-chip applications.
微流控系统在诊断学、生物学研究、化学和工程学研究中得到了广泛的应用。在它们的许多关键参数中，流量在维持微流控系统的功能方面起着关键作用，包括基于液滴的微流控装置和用于细胞培养的微流控系统。它还显著影响微流混合过程。尽管已经开发出了各种流量测量设备，但在定制通道内准确测量流量仍然是一个挑战。本文提出了一种基于智能手机的 3D 打印流速计的开发。3D 打印平台以 30°的角度倾斜，以实现透明的流动可视化，并且不需要任何外部光学元件，如外部透镜和滤波器。集成到平台中的两个 LED 模块为视频捕获创建了均匀的照明环境，直接由智能手机供电。我们的平台与定制的视频处理算法相结合，在三种不同的通道类型中评估了其性能：均匀直通道、宽度不同的直通道和船型通道模式，以展示其多功能性。我们的设备有效地测量了 5.43mm/s 至 24.47mm/s 的流速，视频质量为 1080p 分辨率和每秒 60 帧，通过调整帧率可以扩展测量范围。这种流速计可以成为评估和增强各种芯片实验室应用的微流控通道设计的有用分析工具。
