Department of Media and Visual ArtsDepartment of Mechanical Engineering2024-11-0920212192-857610.1515/aot-2021-00102-s2.0-85106377639http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/aot-2021-0010https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/14096Magnetic levitation (MagLev) is a density-based method which uses magnets and a paramagnetic medium to suspend multiple objects simultaneously as a result of an equilibrium between gravitational, buoyancy, and magnetic forces acting on the particle. Early MagLev setups were bulky with a need for optical or fluorescence microscopes for imaging, confining portability, and accessibility. Here, we review design criteria and the most recent end-applications of portable smartphone-based and self-contained MagLev setups for density-based sorting and analysis of microparticles. Additionally, we review the most recent end applications of those setups, including disease diagnosis, cell sorting and characterization, protein detection, and point-of-care testing.OpticsReview2192-85846733906000041891