SGER: Towards Automated Droplet Coordination in Digital Microfluidic Systems

数字微流体系统（DMFS）是一类新型的“芯片实验室”系统，可以操纵离散液滴。这个探索性的SGER项目将为DMFS的设计、仿真和优化开发算法。这些系统具有以显著降低的成本在真实的时间内执行复杂的生化分析的潜力。它们的低能量要求、小试剂体积和小尺寸使它们在包括医疗诊断、临床监测和环境监测在内的各种应用中具有吸引力。例如，这样的系统可以被用作病原体监测装置，其感测和识别环境中的病原生物。拟议的项目将建立有效性的新方法，通过开发专门的路由和调度算法的协调液滴上的DMFS，通过利用这些问题的结构。通过开发从硬件中抽象出来的模型并专注于算法，将开发用于设计阵列布局和协调在不同硬件实现中工作的液滴的基本原则。所开发的液滴路由和调度算法可以直接用于软件控制DMFS。此外，他们将最终导致高层次的CAD工具来设计和模拟DMFS。这项研究将扩展机器人协调技术的生物技术应用。拟议的研究将涉及研究生的研究，并将被整合到PI教授的机器人运动规划课程。推广活动包括计划加强与特洛伊儿童科技博物馆的机器人夏令营。

Digital microfluidics systems (DMFS) are a new class of "lab-on-a-chip" systems that can manipulate discrete droplets. This exploratory SGER project will develop algorithms for the design, simulation, and optimization of DMFS. These systems have the potential to perform complex biochemical analyses in real time at dramatically reduced costs. Their low energy requirements, small reagent volumes, and small size make them attractive for use in a wide variety of applications including medical diagnostics, clinical monitoring, and environmental monitoring. For example, such systems can be used as pathogen monitoring devices that sense and identify pathogenic organisms in the environment.The proposed project will establish the validity of the novel approach by developing specialized routing and scheduling algorithms for the coordination of droplets on a DMFS, by exploiting the structure of these problems. By developing models abstracted from the hardware and focusing on the algorithms, basic principles will be developed for designing array layouts and coordinating droplets that work across different hardware implementations. The developed droplet routing and scheduling algorithms can be directly used in software to control a DMFS. Further, they will ultimately lead to high-level CAD tools to design and simulate DMFS.This research will extend robot coordination techniques to biotechnology applications. The proposed research will involve graduate students in research, and will be integrated into a Robot Motion Planning course taught by the PI. Outreach activities include plans to enhance summer robotics camps with The Children's Museum of Science and Technology in Troy.