Automated Chemical and Biological Sensing in Sensor Networks

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MicroLabs

• Automated Chemical and Biological Sensing in
  Sensor Networks

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Environmental Monitoring A Living Laboratory in
Cal-IT2

• Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, SMER
• 4,334 acre field station 50 miles NE of San Diego
• Variety of habitat, terrain
• A testbed for 56 ongoing experiments including
  sensing
• Hydrology (stream flow, temp, pH, O2,
  conductivity..)
• Microclimate, fire hazard
• Chemical, biological agents
• High Performance Wireless Research and Education
  Network
• 45 Mbps wireless backbone running across southern
  CA connecting
• SMER, Mt. Palomar, IGPP/SIO seismic network
• Specific focus on real-time environmental
  monitoring
• Seismic, oceanographic, hydrological, ecological
  data
• http//hpwren.ucsd.edu

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Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve Water
Chemistry Quality Stations
Source, Dan Cayan, UCSD SIO
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Project Goal computationnetworkingsensing

• BioChem Embedded and Networked Sensing (BCENS)
  nodes and nets
• In-package integration of microfluidic,
  communications, networking and processing
  subsystems
• Remotely operated, reconfigurable laboratories
  for biochemical analysis
• Sub-systems
• Biofluidic sample preparation, transport,
  disposal
• Chemical analysis, biological assays
• In-situ monitoring, control, communication,
  adaptation
• Targeted for crisis detection, evolutionary
  monitoring, genotyping

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In Simpler Terms
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In-package BioChemical Processing
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Subsystem Chemistry Laboratory

• Critical Actions
• Sampling, Transport, Reagent Mixing, Packaging
• Enormously challenging
• due to surface chemistry (e.g., avoiding protein
  absorption), flow control (very low Reynolds
  number), clogging/bubbling
• Opportunities as well
• DNA extraction from flow control, thermal
  management through flow control (rather than heat
  sinks)
• Components
• AC-pulsed MHD micropumps, microswitches
• Polymeric microvalves, microtitration
• Capillary electrophoresis for separation methods

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MHD Microfluidics
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Microfluidic Platforms

• IC-like microfluidic processors for handling
  complex biofluids self-calibration (BioFlips)
• Micropumps, flow sensors, viscosity sensors,
  diffusion assayes, laminar flow-based target
  extractors, flow cytometers.