Versatile Optochemical Quantification with Optical Mouse

Abstract

There is an ever increasing need for simple, low-cost instruments for ubiquitous medical and environmental measurements in conjunction with networks and Internet-of-things. This work demonstrates that the optical mouse, one of the most common optoelectronic computer peripherals, can be used for chemical quantification. Particularly, we explore the feasibility of using the preassembled optical platform of mouse for oxygen and pH quantification. The image sensor and the light-emitting diode (LED) serve as photodetector and excitation/illumination light source, respectively, while the preinstalled microoptics (e.g., lens and waveguide) provide a fixed optical arrangement convenient for sample analysis. This novel, cost-effective approach demonstrates the potential application of optical mouse for bioanalytical devices in conjunction with commercial sensor strips or simple microfluidic elements. This is one viable option for seamless integration of bioanalytical capability into existing personal computers and associate networks without significant additional hardware.