Miniaturization: how does it work?

The progress of modern technologies has conditioned the development of new, multifunctional systems, which contain a large number of integrated functions. Multifunctional systems (mechanical, fluidic, electromechanical, thermal, etc.) are miniaturized in order to obtain portable multiple-use devices. In the 1980s, this research resulted in a new field known as MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems). With the development of this area, a variety of applications evolved in chemical, biological, and biomedical research when fluid manipulation led to the separation of a new discipline – microfluidics.
The subject of microfluidics is the manipulation of small amounts of liquid in one or more microchannels. Modern microfluidics grows into a Laboratory-On-Chip (LOC) concept because it integrates a large number of functions – from fluid mixing, particle separation, DNA amplification, use of biosensors to additional electronics, and detection optics. At the microscale, the physics of laminar flow enables prediction and precise manipulation in the microfluidic system. Small amounts of samples and reagents significantly reduce the costs, and therefore, microfluidics found an important application in Point-Of-Care Testing (POCT).