MEMS based blood plasma viscosity sensor without electrical connections

A MEMS based viscometer is reported. The device has a disposable cartridge and a reader. The cartridge contains microfluidic channels and a MEMS cantilever sensor. The reader contains the actuator and the readout optics and electronics. A unique feature of the system is that both the actuation and the sensing are remote; therefore, no electrical connections are required between the reader and the cartridge. The reported sensor is capable of measuring viscosity with better than 0.01 cP resolution in a range of 0.8-14.1 cP, with less than 50 μl sample requirement. This range and sensitivity are sufficient for blood plasma viscosity measurements, which are in between 1.1-1.3 cP for healthy individuals and can be elevated to 3cP in certain diseases[1].