The present invention relates to a device exploiting magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) for localized delivery of material into a target or extraction of material from a target. The device includes a frame (101) comprising a space (102) for conductive fluid and the material, at least one pair of electrodes (103A, 103B) facing each other, a source of electric current (105), a magnet (105), and an opening (106). The electric current and the magnetic field are synchronized so that the material can be moved from the volume between the electrodes through the opening towards the target or from the target through the opening towards the volume. According to the invention the volume is 2000 mm.sup.3, in proviso that mean distance between tips of the electrodes is 20 mm.

A fluid ejection device may include a first channel having a first end and a second end, a first drop ejector along the first channel, a second channel having a first end and a second end, a second drop ejector along the second channel, a third channel extending between and connecting the first end of the first channel and the first end of the second channel, a fourth channel extending between and connecting the second end of the firs channel and the second end of the second channel and a fifth channel extending between and connecting the third channel and the fourth channel.

Provided are an electroosmotic pump, including: a membrane; a first electrode which is provided on one surface of the membrane, including a porous support including an insulator and an electrochemical reaction material formed on the porous support; and a second electrode which is provided on the other surface of the membrane, including a porous support including an insulator and an electrochemical reaction material formed on the porous support, and a fluid-pumping system including the electroosmotic pump.

Provided are an electroosmotic pump, including: a membrane; a first electrode which is provided on one surface of the membrane, including a porous support including an insulator and an electrochemical reaction material formed on the porous support; and a second electrode which is provided on the other surface of the membrane, including a porous support including an insulator and an electrochemical reaction material formed on the porous support, and a fluid-pumping system including the electroosmotic pump.

A microfluidic flow rate control device for controlling a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a microfluidic conduit includes an inlet terminal for fluid input and an outlet terminal for fluid output, and a microfluidic conduit communicating the inlet terminal with the outlet terminal. The control device also includes; pumps for pumping the fluid through the conduit at a particular flow rate, valves for adjusting the flow rate of the fluid modifying their passageways, and a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate within the conduit and a controller for receiving the measured flow rate, comparing it with a predefined flow rate and instructing the pumps and/or the valves to modify their pumping powers and passageways of the valves, respectively, based on the result of the comparison. The microfluidic conduit, the pumps, the flow sensor and the valves may be arranged inside the protective housing.

A pumping system and method including a flow locking feature. A pump controller includes a user interface configured to initially receive and set a plurality of programmed flow rate settings, a maximum locked flow rate, and a minimum locked flow rate. The pump controller is also configured to disable resetting of the maximum flow rate and the minimum flow rate once they are initially received and set and to allow resetting of the plurality of programmed flow rate settings throughout operation of the pumping system. The pump controller is further configured to operate a pump motor in order to maintain a first flow rate set by one of the plurality of programmed flow rate settings as long as the first flow rate is between the minimum locked flow rate and the maximum locked flow rate.

A pumping system and method including a flow locking feature. A pump controller includes a user interface configured to initially receive and set a plurality of programmed flow rate settings, a maximum locked flow rate, and a minimum locked flow rate. The pump controller is also configured to disable resetting of the maximum flow rate and the minimum flow rate once they are initially received and set and to allow resetting of the plurality of programmed flow rate settings throughout operation of the pumping system. The pump controller is further configured to operate a pump motor in order to maintain a first flow rate set by one of the plurality of programmed flow rate settings as long as the first flow rate is between the minimum locked flow rate and the maximum locked flow rate.

Fluidic multiwell bioreactors are provided as a microphysiological platform for in vitro investigation of multi-organ crosstalks for an extended period of time of at least weeks and months. The disclosed platform is featured with one or more improvements over existing bioreactors, including on-board pumping for pneumatically driven fluid flow, a redesigned spillway for self-leveling from source to sink, a non-contact built-in fluid level sensing device, precise control on fluid flow profile and partitioning, and facile reconfigurations such as daisy chaining and multilayer stacking. The platform supports the culture of multiple organs in a microphysiological, interacted systems, suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications including systemic toxicity studies and physiology-based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic predictions. A process to fabricate the disclosed bioreactors is also provided.

A piston is the driven component within a pump. The piston is driven along a longitudinal axis to pump a fluid through the pump. The fluid flows through the piston between an upstream end of the pump and a downstream end of the pump. The piston outputs the fluid into the downstream end of the pump at a vector offset from the longitudinal axis, thereby inducing rotation of the piston throughout the pumping process. Rotating the piston encourages even wear on various components within the pump, such as sealing rings surrounding the piston, thereby increasing the lifespan of the components and increasing the efficiency of the pump.

According to an example, a microfluidic device may include a transport channel having an inlet and an outlet and a plurality of pump loops extending along the transport channel. Each of the plurality of pump loops may include a first branch, a second branch, and a connecting section connecting the first branch and the second branch. The first branch may include a first opening and the second branch may include a second opening, in which the first opening and the second opening are in direct fluid communication with the transport channel. The pump loops may also each include an actuator positioned in the first branch, in which the actuators in the pump loops are to be activated to induce a traveling wave that is to transport the fluid through the transport channel from the inlet to the outlet.