Submission + - Bubble Bobble: Physics in Microfluidics Chips
SoyChemist writes: The physics of moving droplets of water around in the channels of a microfluidics chip is tricky. Even simple tasks, like merging two drops, required a lot of problem solving. At the International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the Biopolis in Singapore, Professor David Wietz explained how his research group at Harvard tackled those problems. Prototype devices can sort, combine, and split drops so fast that they are rated in kilohertz. In that sense, the rapid evolution of microfluidics technology feels like the dawn of personal computing all over again. It kinda looks like it too. The many videos that he showed during his presentation bore a funny resemblance to classic video games like Pac Man and Bubble Bobble.