Microvisk

Disposable blood viscosity measurement system

Microvisk (link opens in a new window) is developing a micro-fabricated device capable of sensing a number of fluid properties such as viscosity and temperature. The device is based on micron size cantilevers that can be actuated by a number of means. Deflection of the bi-morphs generates electrical signals that can be fed to simple instrumentation for measurement.

A mass market blood clotting measurement device is being developed as the first product, aimed at patients who are taking anti-coagulants. Frequent testing is needed resulting in hundreds of millions of tests per year. A number of other industrial and biosensor applications based on the design are being investigated. An example is engine oil monitoring where a number of specific parameters must be measured to determine oil quality. Micro-fabricated devices are extremely reliable, very small and cheap to manufacture in large quantities and could therefore be disposable where the application requires it.

The small size of the sensor allows measurements to be made with very small samples and in situations which are not possible with other conventional sensors.