Function of the Speech Recognition of the Smartphone to Automatically Operate a Portable Sample Pretreatment Microfluidic System

We proposed a portable sample pretreatment microsystem, which can be automatically operated through speech recognition in a smartphone app. The proposed sample pretreatment microsystem consists of a microfluidic chip, an air router, pressure and vacuum lines with air pump motors, six 3-way solenoid valves, and a microcontroller with a Bluetooth module. The command of a human voice conducted the whole process of DNA extraction from pathogenic bacterial samples. Thus, manual interference during the DNA extraction is eliminated, preventing any potential infection from human touch. The palm-sized sample pretreatment microsystem can be run by a portable battery or a conventional smartphone charger. Genomic DNA ofSalmonella typhimuriumwas purified on a chip in less than 1 min with an extraction efficiency of 70 +/- 5%.

Automated summary

We proposed a portable sample pretreatment microsystem that can be operated automatically through speech recognition in a smartphone app. The microsystem includes a microfluidic chip, an air router, pressure and vacuum lines with air pump motors, six 3-way solenoid valves, and a microcontroller with a Bluetooth module. The entire DNA extraction process from pathogenic bacterial samples is controlled by human voice commands, eliminating manual interference and potential infection. The palm-sized microsystem can be powered by a portable battery or a conventional smartphone charger, achieving a DNA extraction efficiency of 70 +/- 5% for Salmonella typhimurium in less than 1 minute.