Nanonewton force-controlled manipulation of biological cells using a monolithic MEMS microgripper with two-axis force feedback

Abstract

As mechanical end-effectors, microgrippers enable the pick-transport-place of micrometer-sized objects, such as manipulation and positioning of biological cells in an aqueous environment. This paper reports on a monolithic MEMS-based microgripper with integrated force feedback along two axes and presents the first demonstration of forcecontrolled micro-grasping at the nanonewton force level. The system manipulates highly deformable biomaterials (porcine interstitial cells) in an aqueous environment using a microgripper that integrates a V-beam electrothermal microactuator and two capacitive force sensors, one for contact detection (force resolution: 38.5 nN) and the other for gripping force measurements (force resolution: 19.9 nN). The MEMS-based microgripper and the force control system experimentally demonstrate the capability of rapid contact detection and reliable force-controlled micrograsping to accommodate variations in size and mechanical properties of objects with a high reproducibility.

Design of a microelectromechanical systems microgripper with integrated electrothermal actuator and force sensor

“…Speaking of the electrothermal actuator, it provides some unique capabilities, such as supplying a large force and displacement with a relatively low voltage. 12,13 Also, much attention has been paid to thermal actuators in recent years, which have been demonstrated to be more compact and stable. 11 Actually, electrostatic and electrothermal actuators are two main means of creating in-plane motion in MEMS devices.…”

Quantifying growth mechanics of living, growing plant cells in situ using microrobotics

“…MEMS based force sensors have been used for multiple applications in biological research, such as for measuring forces on single heart cells [14], measuring the injection force on Drosophila embryos [15], studying cell mechanical response [16], characterizing fruit fly behavior and investigation of micromechanical properties of mouse zona pellucida and of soft hydrogel microcapsules [17][18][19]. These sensors are capable of measuring local properties of biological materials and microfabricated MEMS grippers have been demonstrated for quantifying global mechanical properties [20][21][22].…”

Polymer Microgripper with Autofocusing and Visual Tracking Operations to Grip Particle Moving in Liquid

“…The micromanipulation technology with device dimensions and material properties compatible to biological cell finds important applications in the biomedical manipulation [7,8]. In considering the different requirements of manipulating micro particles in liquid environment, several mechanical microgrippers have been developed for these applications [1,3,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Regarding the manipulation of micro particles in liquid environment, the research on gripping stationary artificial particle [1,3,6,7,[10][11][12]15] and living cell [3,6,9,13,14,16] has been reported.…”