A fluid handling device includes: a channel chip including a well for containing a fluid, a channel connected to the well, a valve disposed on the channel, and a through hole; and a pressing member including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first protrusion being for pressing the valve to close the valve, the second protrusion being inserted into the through hole and being for positioning the first protrusion with respect to the valve, the pressing member being rotatable about a rotational axis extending through the second protrusion.

Disclosed is a bi-directional exhalation valve useful for many applications such as in CPAP devices. The exhalation valve includes a valve body having a center chamber, side chambers, and bidirectional ports coupled to the center chamber via passages and a mechanism that provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in a first mode of operation or fluid egress from the bi-directional valve in a second mode of operation. Unidirectional ports are coupled to the plurality of bidirectional ports to provide providing fluid egress from the valve in the second mode of operation, and a unidirectional port provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in the first mode of operation. A mechanism including a center paddle, side paddles, and a shaft are arranged in an elongated compartment of the valve body, such that the shaft is pivots and the central and side paddles open and close corresponding ones of the input and output ports.

A microfluidic valve can include a substrate having a microfluidic channel formed in the substrate. A sealing layer can be over the microfluidic channel. A flexible blister layer can be over the sealing layer. The flexible blister layer can include a blister formed as a distended portion with a blister volume between the flexible blister layer and the sealing layer. The microfluidic valve can be actuatable by puncturing the sealing layer by pressing on the blister. Actuating the microfluidic valve can either allow fluid to flow through the microfluidic channel or block fluid from flowing through the microfluidic channel.

A rack for holding samples and various reagents, wherein the rack may be used for loading the samples and reagents prior to using the reagents. The rack accepts complementary reagent holders, each of which contain a set of reagents for carrying out a predetermined processing operation, such as preparing biological samples for amplifying and detecting polynucleotides extracted from the samples.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a liquid delivery apparatus. A non-limiting example of the apparatus includes a substrate including a cavity formed in a surface of the substrate. The apparatus can also include a membrane disposed on the surface of the substrate covering an opening of the cavity. The apparatus can also include a hydrophobic layer disposed on the membrane. The apparatus can also include a seal disposed between the membrane and the substrate, wherein the seal surrounds the opening of the cavity. The apparatus can also include an electrode layer coupled to the membrane.

A valve for controlling a flow of a fluid comprises: a sealing plate comprising a plurality of ports for passage of the fluid through the sealing plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the sealing plate; and a plurality of valve members, each valve member comprising at least one anchor portion arranged in fixed relationship with the sealing plate and a closure portion which is contiguous with the anchor portion and in movable relationship with the sealing plate under a differential pressure of the fluid across the valve, the closure portion being movable away from the sealing plate under a first differential pressure direction to open at least one of the ports and toward the sealing plate under a second and opposite differential pressure direction to close said at least one of the ports. The anchor portions of the plurality of valve members partition the closure portions from each other such as to define a plurality of valve cells, each valve cell comprising one of the valve members and at least one associated port.

A centrifuge unit for a microfluidic device for processing liquid samples includes a centrifuge cup and at least one centripetal force-dependent valve function.

This invention concerns an integrated microfluidic system that utilizes microfluidic chip technology to receive a patient sample including cells, expand the cells, reprogram the expanded cells and then store the reprogrammed cells in a microfluidic chip. These microfluidic chips with stored reprogrammed cells may then be used in scenarios of genetic differentiation into specific cell types. Overall this system and workflow is suitable as a hospital based device that will allow the generation of iPSCs from every patient for downstream diagnostic or therapeutic use.

A planar micromechanical actuator suspended on opposing suspension zones including a neutral axis between the opposing suspension zones, first to fourth segments into which the planar micromechanical actuator is segmented between the opposing suspension zones, each including a first electrode and a second electrode which form a capacitor and are isolatedly affixed to each other at opposite ends of the respective segment along a direction between the opposing suspension zones so as to form a gap between the first and second electrode along a thickness direction, the gap being offset to the neutral axis along the thickness direction, and wherein the first to fourth segments are configured such that the planar micromechanical actuator deflects into the thickness direction by the first and fourth segment bending into the thickness direction and the second and third segments bending contrary to the thickness direction upon a voltage being applied to the first and second electrodes of the first to fourth segments.

The present disclosure relates to an actuator, an actuator assembly, a method of operating an actuator, a computer program and a system. In one aspect, an actuator may comprise a plurality of independently operable actuation elements and an operator having an operator surface. Each actuation element may have an actuation surface. The operator may be driveable to move the operator surface along a path to selectively engage with the respective actuation surface of each actuation element to actuate the actuation element.