Pros: existing tools and knowledge transfer over, d-subs have been field proven and plenty of experience exists for folks who worked with them.
Cons: it is now possible to connect microfluidic connections to electrical, or use the wrong sort of couplers, or a bunch of other issues that pose risks to new uses and existing usages of electrical d-sub connections.
Like, imagine if they used regular Edison power cables, or HDMI etc. Sometimes there are good reasons not to use existing standards.
I don't think there is any real danger in connecting an "electrical" sub-d to a "fluid" sub-d. You'd just have a non-working connection from both sides.
It's similar to many devices having RJ-45 serial console ports, that look like network ports, and if you accidentally connect the wrong cable to it, nothing bad happens.
On the other hand, I could really see hybrid connectors as a solution, i.e. have 4 electrical pins and 5 fluid pins. That way you could have some signalling between the devices and not start pushing fluid through the tubes unless a "correct" device is attached.
I wouldn't really say that it's a proven technology because the core issue for microfluidic applications is having a air- and water-tight connection, which is not proven out by electrical connectors of any sort.
I remember microfluidics research being somewhat in vogue a decade ago. Asking as a complete layman - did any practical applications come out of it? Any use in the industry?
Single cell RNA sequencing is a very useful technique that relies on microfluidics. It allows researchers to isolate individual cells then "read" the RNA content of them. This lets you identify (very approximately) what behaviors a cell is doing in the tissue it came from. Still mostly a research tool, but it's going to move into the clinic in the next 10 years, I'd guess.
10x Genomics (https://www.10xgenomics.com/) is the biggest company building the machines for this. They're publicly traded.
As with many of these "laboratory" technologies, there is not much an "end-user" would see of it.
Microfluidics is being used in large scales in biological labs for sample analysis etc., so yes, there are practical applications but none that any random household needs or could even make any use of :)
There are indeed a few practical applications. Next to Berkely lights, there is e.g. the LabChip from PerkinElmer that separates DNA and proteins. I had hoped that there would be many more examples by now. Most presentations that I see about microfluids still go in a lot of detail on how difficult it is to make. This hasn't really changed over the last decade, which signals to me we still need quite some innovation to make this mainstream.
If you want to play around with digital microfluids at home, check out the OpenDrop from gaudi.ch (http://www.gaudi.ch/OpenDrop/). I haven't played around with it yet, as I haven't found a practical use of this.
I could see this being useful for control system monitoring (monitoring a bunch of hydraulic pressures) or in a lab for an automated testing machine (pull in samples at regular intervals)
The 15psi that the connector was tested at is a good ways below the typical working pressures of most hydraulic systems, I'd be curious to see just how high the connector could manage.
There are gas and liquid "pins" for a number of standard connectors, both the mil-spec circular style and the modular Harting style. They're not so "micro" as this, but very much in use in industry.
[+] [-] palijer|3 years ago|reply
Cons: it is now possible to connect microfluidic connections to electrical, or use the wrong sort of couplers, or a bunch of other issues that pose risks to new uses and existing usages of electrical d-sub connections.
Like, imagine if they used regular Edison power cables, or HDMI etc. Sometimes there are good reasons not to use existing standards.
[+] [-] dark-star|3 years ago|reply
It's similar to many devices having RJ-45 serial console ports, that look like network ports, and if you accidentally connect the wrong cable to it, nothing bad happens.
On the other hand, I could really see hybrid connectors as a solution, i.e. have 4 electrical pins and 5 fluid pins. That way you could have some signalling between the devices and not start pushing fluid through the tubes unless a "correct" device is attached.
[+] [-] elil17|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nyanpasu64|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] MisterTea|3 years ago|reply
Edison power cable?
[+] [-] kongito|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dark-star|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Scene_Cast2|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bglazer|3 years ago|reply
10x Genomics (https://www.10xgenomics.com/) is the biggest company building the machines for this. They're publicly traded.
[+] [-] dark-star|3 years ago|reply
Microfluidics is being used in large scales in biological labs for sample analysis etc., so yes, there are practical applications but none that any random household needs or could even make any use of :)
[+] [-] jhallenworld|3 years ago|reply
Aside from these, it sounds like they will become lab tools not the Theranos-style lab replacements.
See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAESOEjcYfc
[+] [-] rubidium|3 years ago|reply
One of the bigger hits was Berkeley Lights, a big deal in early cell line development for monoclonal antibodies: https://www.berkeleylights.com/technology/
But there’s be numerous others. All have advanced state of the art. But as another commenter said, not much for home use. Just industry.
[+] [-] ros86|3 years ago|reply
If you want to play around with digital microfluids at home, check out the OpenDrop from gaudi.ch (http://www.gaudi.ch/OpenDrop/). I haven't played around with it yet, as I haven't found a practical use of this.
[+] [-] jpopesculian|3 years ago|reply
[0](https://haptx.com/)
[+] [-] chris_va|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] exabrial|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Arrath|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] myself248|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ncmncm|3 years ago|reply