Devices and method for using centripetal acceleration to drive fluid movement in a microfluidics system with on-board informatics

A centripetally-motivated fluid micromanipulation apparatus that is a combination of

• a microsystem platform, comprising a substrate having a first flat, planar surface and a second flat, planar surface opposite thereto, wherein the first surface comprises a multiplicity of microchannels, a reaction chamber and a reagent reservoir embedded therein, and a sample input means, wherein the sample input means, the microchannels, the reaction chamber and the reagent reservoir are connected and in fluidic contact, and wherein the second flat, planar surface opposite to the first flat planar surface of the platform is encoded with an eletromagnetically-readable instruction set for controlling rotational speed, duration, or direction of the platform, and
• a micromanipulation device, comprising a base, a rotating means, a power supply and user interface and operations controlling means, wherein the rotating means is operatively linked to the microsystem platform and in rotational contact therewith
• wherein a volume of a fluid within the microchannels of the platform is moved through said microchannels by centripetal force arising from rotational motion of the platform for a time and a rotational velocity sufficient to move the fluid through the microchannels.

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the microsystem platform has a thickness of about 0.1 to 100 mm, and wherein the cross-sectional dimension of the reaction chamber or the reagent reservoir between the first and second flat, planar surfaces is from 1 to 75 percent of said thickness of the platform.