The present disclosure is directed towards electro-fluid transducers that may influence the flow of a fluid in and around a channel. In one such embodiment, a system comprises a first electrode at least partially encapsulated by a first dielectric; a second electrode at least partially encapsulated by a second dielectric, wherein a portion of a channel exists between the first dielectric and the second dielectric; a third electrode positioned in the channel; and a fourth electrode positioned in the channel, wherein the electrodes influence a flow of a fluid in the channel upon the electrodes being energized.

Methods, systems, and devices for ventilating are described. Generally, the described methods, systems, and devices may support generating subsonic air pressure waves for enhancing air ventilation, heating, and cooling applications. Specifically, a transducer device may be configured to provide air ventilation, heating, and cooling based on a generated waveform. For example, the transducer device may be coupled to a waveform generator that may generate a repeating asymmetric waveform having an attack and decay profile for generating pulses (e.g., pressure waves) that propagate outward. In some implementations, multiple transducer devices may be configured to operate synchronously with each other to further enhance the air ventilation, heating, and cooling application.

Designs of a digital microfluidic devices are described comprising droplet control electrodes and heating electrodes that have effects in the regions for droplet manipulations. Specifically, the digital microfluidic device comprises a first substrate having liquid control electrodes for droplet control and a second substrate having heating electrodes for temperature control. Shielding electrodes are disposed on the second substrate to ensure that the heating electrodes can control the digital microfluidic device to a desired temperature profile without interfering the droplet operations such as transport, merging/mixing, splitting, particle distribution, etc.

A method and a device for measuring a fluid flow characteristic of an ambient fluid and modifying fluid flow of the ambient fluid, the method including: applying a first voltage between a first electrode and a second electrode, the first voltage being sufficient to generate a plasma in the first space; applying a second voltage between the first electrode and a third electrode, the second voltage being sufficient to generate a plasma in the second space; measuring a first current between the first and second electrodes, and a second current between the first and third electrodes; determining a fluid flow characteristic of the ambient fluid; and applying a third voltage between the first and second electrodes, the third voltage being sufficient to generate a plasma in the first space sufficient to modify fluid flow of the ambient fluid in the first direction in the first space.

An ER fluid valve includes a housing and a plurality of parallel flow passages through the housing each defined by spaced electrodes at least one of which is controllable independently of other flow passages electrodes. A controller is configured to selectively establish electrical fields for all of the independently controllable electrodes to close all of the flow passages to ER fluid flowing through the housing. By removing the fields from all of the independently controllable electrodes, all the flow passages are open to the ER fluid flowing through the housing. By establishing fields for select independently controllable electrodes to close their associated flow passages and by leaving other flow passages open, restricted flow of the ER fluid through the housing is accomplished to vary the flow rate through the housing.

A microchip includes a channel permitting a sheath liquid to flow therethrough; and a microtube for introducing a sample liquid into a laminar flow of the sheath liquid flowing through the channel; wherein liquid feeding is performed in the condition where a laminar flow of the sample liquid introduced through the microtube is surrounded by the laminar flow of the sheath liquid.

A system for manipulating electric fields within a microscopic fluid channel includes a fluid channel with an inlet and an outlet to support fluid flow, at least one controllable electric field producer that applies a non-uniform and adjustable electric field to one or more regions of the fluid channel, one or more sensors that measure one or more parameters of a fluid flowing through the fluid channel, and a controller with hardware and software components that receives signals from the one or more sensors representative of values of the one or more parameters and, based on the parameter values, drives one or more actuators to adjust the electric field produced by the plurality of electric field producers. A complex fluid including at least two components flows through the fluid channel, where at least one of the at least two components comprises

An electrostatic bypass system and method as disclosed utilizes corona wires extending laterally across the flow path upstream of the section of the flow path of concern. The corona wires can be arranged to form a mesh across the flow path and can be powered by a power source to ionize the air surrounding the wires to thereby apply an electrostatic charge to the particulates as they pass through an ionized section of air proximate the wires.