Makerspaces could enable widespread adoption of microfluidics
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

For more than a decade, scientists have publicized the potential of microfluidics to revolutionize the test and analysis of substances ranging from water to DNA. Thousands of journal articles have chronicled researchers` development of novel microfluidic devices for diagnostic tests. Miniature, self-contained analysis systems, often referred to as labs-on-a-chip, have streamlined various assays, providing near-real-time results of analyses such as glucose or pathogen detection in blood products. Any field that relies on analyzing and identifying chemical and biological elements-for example, medicine, environmental protection, and agriculture-could benefit from the rapid, onsite assessments enabled by a lab-on-a-chip. Yet, these devices remain primarily projects found in universities and research labs not products available commercially.