This is a not-so-originally named application for controlling multiple instruments in cell microfluidic experiments. A suspension of cells in KCl solution is driven through a microfluidic channel by an external syringe pump. Cell passage is monitored via the resistive pulse (or Coulter counter) technique with a measured current sampled by a data acquisition card (National Instruments). When a cell is detected, the syringe is reversed so that the cell begins to change direction after passing through the channel. At the same time, an external camera (Phantom v7 high-speed camera, Vision Research) is triggered to record the passage. Cells can be driven through the sensing region of the device multiple times to get good measurement statistics.
The program is written in C++ and Qt, and uses threading to ensure the devices can respond to commands without delay. Each device has its own unique communication protocol:
| Device | Comm. type |
|---|---|
| Syringe pump | Serial RS-232 |
| Camera | TCP sockets |
| DAQ card | NI-DAQ C API |