Microgripper Using Soft Microactuators for Manipulation of Living Cells

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Robotics

Background:

• Soft actuators offer compliance for handling delicate targets.
• Thermoresponsive hydrogels exhibit volume changes with temperature.
• Microscale manipulation requires precise and gentle gripping mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a microgripper actuated by soft thermoresponsive hydrogels.
• To enable precise manipulation of single living cells using localized heating.
• To investigate the actuation characteristics of laser-driven hydrogel microgrippers.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microgripper utilizing thermoresponsive hydrogels.
• Actuation of the hydrogel via localized heating with an infrared (IR) laser.
• Theoretical analysis of gripper actuation characteristics.
• Experimental validation of cell gripping capabilities for approximately 10 µm cells.

Main Results:

• The microgripper was successfully fabricated and actuated using IR laser irradiation.
• Theoretical analysis informed the design for gripping ≈10 µm cells.
• Successful gripping of a single living cell was demonstrated.
• The soft nature of the hydrogel actuator allowed for compliant cell manipulation.

Conclusions:

• A novel microgripper actuated by laser-heated thermoresponsive hydrogels is presented.
• The developed microgripper enables precise manipulation of single living cells.
• This technology holds potential for applications in cell biology and micro-robotics.