Development of a Microforce Sensor and Its Array Platform for Robotic Cell Microinjection Force Measurement

Abstract

Robot-assisted cell microinjection, which is precise and can enable a high throughput, is attracting interest from researchers. Conventional probe-type cell microforce sensors have some real-time injection force measurement limitations, which prevent their integration in a cell microinjection robot. In this paper, a novel supported-beam based cell micro-force sensor with a piezoelectric polyvinylidine fluoride film used as the sensing element is described, which was designed to solve the real-time force-sensing problem during a robotic microinjection manipulation, and theoretical mechanical and electrical models of the sensor function are derived. Furthermore, an array based cell-holding device with a trapezoidal microstructure is micro-fabricated, which serves to improve the force sensing speed and cell manipulation rates. Tests confirmed that the sensor showed good repeatability and a linearity of 1.82%. Finally, robot-assisted zebrafish embryo microinjection experiments were conducted. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of the sensor working with the robotic cell manipulation system. Moreover, the sensing structure, theoretical model, and fabrication method established in this study are not scale dependent. Smaller cells, e.g., mouse oocytes, could also be manipulated with this approach.

Effect of the Dynamic Cone Angle on the Atomization Performance of a Piezoceramic Vibrating Mesh Atomizer

“…The past century has been characterized by rapid advances in materials development, especially in functional materials, such as piezoceramic materials. Nowadays, on one hand, piezoceramic materials have found a wide spectrum of commercial applications [1,2], such as ultrasonic measurement [3][4][5], vibration sensing and control [6][7][8], force sensing [9,10], pumping and dosing [11][12][13], ultrasonic cleaner, ultrasonic welding, energy harvesting [14,15] and imaging [16], among others. On the other hand, piezoceramic materials and devices are still being actively researched to achieve better performance with lower cost and less environmental impact [17][18][19].…”

A Review of Recent Advances in Robotic Cell Microinjection

“…12(a), piezoelectric materials are used to construct a flexible beam structure for transforming the force exerted on the needle into the deformation. Xie et al [102] proposed a cell microforce transducer based on piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin film support beams (see Fig. 12(b)).…”

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