Music-Box: Controlling microfluidic flow with customized melodies for point-of-care testing

The global prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) underscores an urgent need for solutions of accessible and rapid diagnostics. Although microfluidic chips have paved a promising pathway for achieving point-of-care-testing (POCT), the reliance on bulky and high-cost pumps has restricted their applicability in decentralized settings. Here, we present "Music-Box", a system leveraging a novel actuation mechanism based on the asymmetric motion of the speaker to achieve precise microfluidic control. By eliminating the need for fixed unidirectional structures, this system enables bidirectional fluid manipulation with high precision. Coupled with a smartphone, Music-Box offers a sample-to-result workflow for HPV nucleic acid detection. Clinical verification using 50 hospital-sourced samples reveals that the device has a 97.3 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity for HPV detection. By integrating portability, affordability, and precision, Music-Box redefines the method of POCT, enabling scalable diagnostics not only under resource-limited settings but also adaptable to scenarios of various infectious diseases.