The Device Guru has an interesting post on a "microscopic microscope" from Cal Tech.
Here is the introduction:
Caltech claims its researchers have “turned science fiction into reality” with their development of a single-chip “microscopic microscope.” Although it doesn’t have any lenses, the device is said to provide magnification comparable to that of sophisticated optical microscopes.
The microscope’s magnifying capabilities derive from a technology known as microfluidics, which is based on “the channeling of fluid flow at incredibly small scales,” according to the project. Applications for the so-called “optofluidic microscope” are expected to include field analysis of blood samples for malaria, or checking water supplies for giardia and other pathogens.
