[pen2l]

What about a hybrid approach, as I think folks do right now more or less -- draw it out by eye, and then validate the design with simulation-software (e.g. https://www.comsol.com/microfluidics-module) and iterate as needed from thereon.

Your inclination toward a computational approach makes me think of what folks in mechanical engineering are up to these days. Creating mechanical designs generatively with topological optimization (https://all3dp.com/2/topology-optimization-simply-explained/). There appear to be clear use-cases and advantages: you reduce the amount of material needed, decide exactly what stress points you want to focus on and work to strengthen those particular parts of the structure in interesting ways, etc. Fluid mechanics is a little more complicated though I think, so you're certainly up for a challenge!

I wish you success with your proposal, and I hope to discover your findings published in a nature paper on the frontpage of HN sometime soon ;).

[knolan]

Thank you! Yes, generative design is part of it.

I’m interested in this approach because the current situation (including hybrid) has engineers, often students, designing devices to meet the need of biologists. There a going to be a fundamental challenge here in terms of communication of requirements, expertise and time the engineers have and limitations of available fabrication methods.

This results in the lowest common denominator in terms of design and performance. I want to make tools that the key stakeholders (biologists etc) can use to plot out the functionality they require and obtain a functional geometry. I’ve also got a concept for a rapid prototyping platform that eliminates many of the problems with 3D printing.