Infusion pumps have been widely used in clinical settings for the administration of medications and fluids. We present the digital droplet infusion (DDI) device, a low-cost, high-precision digital infusion system, utilizing a microfluidic discretization unit to convert continuous flow into precisely delivered droplet aliquots and a valving unit to control the duration and frequency of flow discretization. The DDI device relies on a distinct capillarity-dominated process of coalescence and pinch-off of droplets for flow digitization, which is monitored by a pair of conductive electrodes located before and after the junction. The digital feedback-controlled flow rate can be employed to adjust a solenoid valve for refined infusion management. With this unique digital microfluidic approach, the DDI technology enables a simple yet powerful infusion system with an ultrahigh resolution of digital droplet transfer volume, as small as 57 nL, which is three orders of magnitude lower than that of clinical standard infusion pumps, as well as a wide range of digitally adjustable infusion rates ranging from 0.1 mL h⁻¹ to 10 mL h⁻¹, in addition to an array of programmable infusion profiles and safety features. Its modular design enables fast assembly using only off-the-shelf and 3D-printed components. Overall, benefiting from its simple device architecture and excellent infusion performance, the DDI technology has great potential to become the next-generation clinical standard for drug delivery with its high precision and ultimate portability at a low cost.

中文翻译：

---

数字滴注

输液泵已广泛用于临床环境中用于药物和液体的给药。我们展示了数字液滴输液 (DDI) 装置，这是一种低成本、高精度的数字输液系统，利用微流体离散化单元将连续流动转换为精确输送的液滴等分试样，并利用阀门单元控制流动离散化的持续时间和频率. DDI 设备依赖于一种独特的毛细作用主导的聚结和夹断液滴的过程来进行流量数字化，该过程由位于结前后的一对导电电极监测。数字反馈控制的流速可用于调节电磁阀以实现精细的输液管理。凭借这种独特的数字微流体方法，^-1至 10 mL h ^-1，以及一系列可编程输液配置文件和安全功能。其模块化设计仅使用现成的 3D 打印组件即可实现快速组装。总体而言，得益于其简单的设备架构和出色的输液性能，DDI 技术具有成为下一代药物递送临床标准的巨大潜力，具有高精度和低成本的终极便携性。