U S Patent # 7,097,810 - “Delivery of Metered Amounts of Liquid Materials” discloses a new liquid dispensing and aspirating system that is capable of producing tiny spots, droplets, lines and other geometric-features. Application of the invention includes: molecular biology research/analysis, clinic diagnostics, and micro/nano-systems. The initial application was focused on DNA microarray fabrication with a goal of uniform spot morphology, smaller spot size, higher yield, and more efficient use of biological materials. This system is based on active sensing-control and handles thick liquid as well as various aqueous solutions. It dispenses and aspires without contacting the target or substrates thereby improving quality as well as reliability. Central to the system is the active self sensing pin (the “SmartPin”). By utilizing the optical lever and the total internal reflection principles, the pin is able to sense pin-to-target distance, dispensation volume, liquid pin-off, as well as the quality of dispensation. All aspects of dispensing and detection are therefore carried without contacting the target surface. Improvements to the technology including the ability to dispense ever smaller volumes (.0025 nanoliter or 40 micron spot) and non-contact aspiration and dispensation are embodied in US Patent # 8,227,258 - “Delivery and Sensing of Metered Amounts of Liquid Materials”. To see the SmartPin in action see