Using capillary action, microfluidic systems can move fluids without expensive and complicated pumping mechanisms. Flow rates and exposure times can be controlled by adjusting the materials, geometry, and reagents used in the device.
Designing an inexpensive device? Try building it out of paper! A wide range of porous materials have been engineered to give optimal performance in capillary-driven devices. They move fluids, bind molecules, and save money.
By removing the need for pumps, capillarity-based detection systems can perform sophisticated sample analyses where other systems can't. Think of them as producing a medical device, minus the "device."