Optofluidic imaging: now and beyond

More than a decade of research work in optofluidics has yielded a large catalogue of optofluidic elements that can manipulate light at the micro-scale (e.g., lenses, prisms). Although these elements have proven useful for many on-chip processes (e.g., miniaturized flow cytometry, interferometry and sample spectroscopy), certain deficiencies have precluded their use in micro-scale imaging. However, recent work in optofluidic imaging has avoided optofluidic elements entirely and focused instead on image capture and composition techniques, demonstrating impressive resolution in both 2D imagery and 3D tomography. In this Focus article, we will discuss some of the recent successes in optofluidic imaging and will expound our expectations for the near future of the optofluidic imaging discipline.