Vision-Based Real-Time Microflow-Rate Control System for Cell Analysis

Abstract

On-chip cell analysis is an important issue for microtechnology research, and microfluidic devices are frequently used in on-chip cell analysis systems. One approach to controlling the fluid flow in microfluidic devices for cell analysis is to use a suitable pumps. However, it is difficult to control the actual flow-rate in a microfluidic device because of the difficulty in placing flow-rate sensors in the device. In this study, we developed a real-time flow-rate control system that uses syringe pumps and high-speed vision to measure the actual fluid flow in microfluidic devices. The developed flow-rate control system was verified through experiments on microparticle velocity control and microparticle sorting.