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1 Introduction

Figure 1.61: Microfluidic system that can manipulate single droplets via electric fields.

A special application of microfluidics uses the small diameter tubes to isolate and ma-

nipulate single droplets via an electric field (Figure 1.61). That can be used in synthesis

but also in force measurements.

In this book, the analogies between the human and machine processes will be high-

lighted, not only because they are exciting but also because we can learn from them.

The human system has been evolving for millions of years, so the sensor and analysis

processes are comparatively simple in structure and function yet powerful and effective

in very complex situations. Analogies can highlight how technology can take advantage

or mimic these processes, and thus build more effective nanosensors.

The chapters will cover human motion, vision, hearing, smell and taste, and me-

chanical and heat sensing in skin. In each chapter, we will first look at how human mo-

tion or the human sense works on the molecular scale. Then, we will explore how tech-

nology has used the human molecules of motion and senses in nanotechnology. The last

part of the chapter looks at technology that does not use the same molecules, but does

mimic the same function through nanotechnology. There is a lot of ongoing research

on these topics; here, only examples are presented that highlight different approaches,

specifically approaches that remain close to the original structure and function of hu-

man senses and motion.

Bibliography

[1] Guyton AC, Hall JE. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company;

2000.

[2] Vogel S. Cats’ Paws and Catapults. New York, NY: W.W. Norten and Company; 1998.

Further Reading

Clark RAF. The Molecular and Cellular Biology of Wound Repair. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic

Publishers; 1996.