How the Micropump Works (IMAGE) University of Utah Caption The illustrations on the left side of this figure show how a vacuum or air pressure applied to hair-sized control channels in the bottom layer (blue) of a new University of Utah micropump would pull or push air through the middle layer (a permeable membrane) to move a blood sample (red) from a well to a testing chamber and back again in the upper layer of a micropump. Legend is upper right. At lower right is an illustration of a micropump on a portion of a lab on a chip, and how the ump is made of three layers of a silicone polymer named PDMS. Credit Mark Eddings, University of Utah Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.