Automation and flow control for particle manipulation

In recent years, several new methods have been developed to precisely manipulate small particles using optical, electric, acoustic, magnetic, or fluidic fields. Automated fluidic trapping has emerged as a particularly powerful method to control colloidal particles, cells, or single polymers using only fluid flow. Here, we discuss recent advances in the automation of particle manipulation, focusing on flow-based and electric field-based methods. Broadly, automated flow control enables the precise manipulation of multiple freely suspended particles using gentle flow, thereby enabling new directions in chemical and biological systems.