Go with the (micro) flow

The integration of electronics and optics with miniature fluidic systems has produced remarkable capabilities that have spawned a new industry, primarily in the past decade. Devices made by several companies, most of them start-ups, enable point-of-care analyses for clinical samples and on-site field studies, as well as providing instruments for research and development. The companies, the materials and processes they use to make devices, and the markets that are served, are the subjects of this overview of the microfluidics industry. Microfluidic chips are part of the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This is the case since they are made by the micromachining processes developed in the field of MEMS, whether or not they have moving parts. Instruments based on microfluidic chips are likely to become smaller and more widely used in the coming years. The chips themselves are candidates for even greater technical integration.