A high speed recoil-free piezo-drive for cell impalement

A piezoelectric drive system for cell impalement is described. It uses commercially available low voltage piezo elements permitting complete position control by arbitrary voltage signals. Electrode velocities of up to 100 microns/ms are achieved. The recoil momentum to the manipulator is effectively compensated by a second piezo drive oriented in the opposite direction, avoiding for instance a cumbersome lead block or restrictions given by the mounting of the piezo system with respect to the manipulator mass. The actual performance of the system is described and compared to other devices in the literature.