Testing of MEDA-Based Biochip: A Proposed Technique for Functional Testing of Symmetric Set of Modules

The MEDA biochip technology allows for the miniaturization of laboratory procedures and the automation of complex tasks of biomedical analysis, making it a valuable tool in many fields, including medicine, biology, and chemistry. One of the advantages of MEDA biochips is their ability to perform multiple analyses simultaneously, which can eventually save time and resources. Given the elevated complexity and concurrent execution of multiple bioassays, traditional testing methods employed in conventional Biochips may prove insufficient for diagnosing and detecting faults in these devices. In this paper, we introduce novel testing techniques tailored to a specific symmetric set of modules, designed to accommodate increased complexity and effectively facilitate functional testing of MEDA-based biochips. We proposed a functional testing technique involving merging, mixing, and splitting of droplets (both horizontal and diagonal) for a set of modules of a given configuration located symmetrically within a 2D grid MEDA biochip layout. We simulated the proposed testing technique with the symmetric arrangement of modules with different numbers. Thereby we developed a specific test schedule for different module arrangements resulting in the utilization of optimal test resources, timing, and better module coverage.