Abstract
Micro-scale structure of natural biological creatures are made of membranes, which are relatively thin compared to their feature size. This fundamental characteristic of the architecture of biological microstructures, makes life a highly adaptable system from both chemical and physical perspectives. The small thickness of the membrane enhances transport of heat and substances between the body and its surroundings, and it provides softness to the body, enabling passive and active morphological changes for adapting to the environment. These characteristics of biological microstructures should greatly encourage us to develop new types of microdevices, which we name "membrane-based microdevice". In this paper, three-dimensional microforming technologies of thermo-plastic polymers and biological polymers were described. And the more, several types of membrane-based microdevices including the "pneumatically actuated spheroid culture chip" and "artificial blood capillary device" were developed.
