Holograms of colloidal dispersions encode comprehensive information about individual particles' three-dimensional positions, sizes and optical properties. Extracting that information typically is computation-ally intensive, and thus slow. Machine-learning techniques based on support vector machines (SVMs) can analyze holographic video microscopy data in real time on low-power computers. The resulting stream of precise particle-resolved tracking and characterization data provides unparalleled insights into the composition and dynamics of colloidal dispersions and enables applications ranging from basic research to process control and quality assurance.

Stationary devices employing quadrature phase analysis light scattering are provided, to aid in the determination of the magnitude and polarity of electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential of particles in colloids. The devices use an optical quadrature interferometer with an electrophoresis sample chamber containing sample particles undergoing electrophoresis, the optical quadrature interferometer being configured to generate a quadrature signal. The phase of the quadrature signal may be analyzed at the frequency of the sample chamber electric field to estimate displacements and directions of the particles. The estimates can be used to determine a central value of the magnitude of the electrophoretic mobility, as well as its polarity. Particles having low electrophoretic mobility, or that may be adversely affected by high electric fields, can be analyzed, and constraints on vibration and light source coherence length may be relaxed. A phase modulator or frequency shifter is not required.

A particle detection method in which particles in a sample are detected includes: a mounting step of mounting, on a stage portion, a fluid device including a channel through which the particles can move; an irradiation step of irradiating the channel with illumination light; and a detection step of detecting scattered light generated from the particles by irradiation with the illumination light. In the irradiation step, the illumination light is converged such as to enter the channel by passing through, among side surfaces of the channel, only the first side surface that faces an illumination light incident direction.

An imaging device for determining particle size distribution including a sample receptacle containing a sample and an imager capable of capturing a plurality of images of the sample in a region of observation. The imaging device further includes a radiation source provided linearly opposite to the imager and a base platform that supports the imager and the radiation source.

Embodiments disclose a device for testing biological specimen. The device includes a sample carrier and a detachable cover. The sample carrier includes a specimen holding area. The detachable cover is placed on top of the specimen holding area. The detachable cover includes a magnifying component configured to align with the specimen holding area. The focal length of the magnifying component is from 0.1 mm to 8.5 mm. The magnifying component has a linear magnification ratio of at least 1. Some embodiments further include a multi-camera configuration. These embodiments include a first camera module and a second camera module arranged to capture one or more images of the first holding area and the second holding area, respectively. The processor may perform different analytic processes on the captured images of different holding areas to determine an outcome with regard to the biological specimen.

In-line holography to create images of a specimen, such as one or more particles dispersed in a transparent medium. Analyzing these images with results from light scattering theory yields the particles' sizes with nanometer resolution, their refractive indexes to within one part in a thousand, and their three dimensional positions with nanometer resolution. This procedure can rapidly and directly characterize mechanical, optical and chemical properties of the specimen and its medium.

A method and system of imaging a moving object within a microfluidic environment includes illuminating a first side of a flow cell configured to carry the moving object within a flow of carrier fluid with an illumination source emitting at least partially coherent light, the at least partially coherent light passing through an aperture prior to illuminating the flow cell. A plurality of lower resolution frame images of the moving object are acquired with an image sensor disposed on an opposing side of the flow cell, wherein the image sensor is angled relative to a direction of flow of the moving object within the carrier fluid. A higher resolution image is reconstructed of the moving object based at least in part on the plurality of lower resolution frame images.

Disclosed is a passive wireless device for microfluidic detection of multi-level droplets. A primary inductor channel and a secondary inductor channel each comprise two layers of inductance coils, and the inductance coils of the primary inductor channel and the secondary inductor channel are alternately arranged in each layer. A double-resonance circuit is formed after a liquid conductive material is injected. A first part of a detection channel is disposed between a primary capacitor channel, and a second part of a detection channel is disposed between a secondary capacitor channel. A reading device is used to read a resonant frequency of the double-resonance circuit, and perform detection according to the resonant frequency to obtain information of a corresponding first droplet group and/or second droplet group.

Systems and methods are provided for determining a velocity or an inflation rate of a droplet in a microfluidic channel. The droplet is exposed to two or more temporally separated flashes of light, each flash including light of one wavelength band, and imaged using a detector configured to distinguish light in the wavelength bands. Two or more images of the droplet are acquired, each corresponding to one of the flashes, and all within a single video frame or photographic exposure. The images can be processed separately and the position or size of the droplet in each image is calculated. A velocity or inflation rate is then determined by dividing the change in position or size by the amount of time allowed to pass between the flashes.

Embodiments of the microfluidic device may include of an array of microfluidic cell capture chambers, each functionalized with a different antibody to recognize a target antigen, and a network of code-multiplexed Coulter counters placed at strategic nodes across the device to quantify the fraction of cell population captured in each microfluidic chamber. For example, an apparatus may comprise a fluid inlet port divided into a plurality of separate microfluidic paths, each separate microfluidic path configured to transport a plurality of cells, the plurality of separate microfluidic paths, each comprising a plurality of microfluidic cell capture chambers, an outlet port to discharge a merged output of cells from the plurality of microfluidic cell capture chambers, and a plurality of sensors to detect cells passing into or out of a microfluidic cell capture chamber.