Hidden in Plain Sight - by Albert Folch (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book presents a history of microfluidic devices, primarily through interviews with some of their progenitors. It also discusses the science, engineering, and myriad applications, including the rapid pregnancy test, inkjet printing, glucose sensors, and genome sequencing"--

Book Synopsis

Stories behind essential microfluidic devices, from the inkjet printer to DNA sequencing chip.

Hidden from view, microfluidics underlies a variety of devices that are essential to our lives, from inkjet printers to glucometers for the monitoring of diabetes. Microfluidics--which refers to the technology of miniature fluidic devices and the study of fluids at submillimeter levels--is invisible to most of us because it is hidden beneath ingenious user interfaces. In this book, Albert Folch, a leading researcher in microfluidics, describes the development and use of key microfluidic devices. He explains not only the technology but also the efforts, teams, places, and circumstances that enabled these inventions.

Folch reports, for example, that the inkjet printer was one of the first microfluidic devices invented, and traces its roots back to nineteenth-century discoveries in the behavior of fluid jets. He also describes how rapid speed microfluidic DNA sequencers have enabled the sequencing of animal, plant, and microbial species genomes; organs on chips facilitate direct tests of drugs on human tissue, leapfrogging over the usual stage of animal testing; at-home pregnancy tests are based on clever microfluidic principles; microfluidics can be used to detect cancer cells in the early stages of metastasis; and the same technology that shoots droplets of ink on paper in inkjet printers enables 3D printers to dispense layers of polymers. Folch tells the stories behind these devices in an engaging style, accessible to nonspecialists. More than 100 color illustrations show readers amazing images of microfluids under the microscope.

Review Quotes

"Truly wonderful... In part because Folch's writing style is so remarkably clear, anyone interested in science and technology will appreciate and benefit from this fascinating book."
--CHOICE Connects

"By encouraging scholars to focus more closely on the intersection of microelectronics and biotechnology, Hidden in Plain Sight sets the stage for future books and articles that will situate these developments within a broader social
context."
--H-Sci-Med-Tech

About the Author

Albert Folch is Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. He is the author of the widely used textbook Introduction to BioMEMS and other books.