Dual-Arm Visuo-Haptic Optical Tweezers for Bimanual Cooperative Micromanipulation of Nonspherical Objects

Cooperative manipulation through dual-arm robots is widely implemented to perform precise and dexterous tasks to ensure automation; however, the implementation of cooperative micromanipulation through dual-arm optical tweezers is relatively rare in biomedical laboratories. To enable the bimanual and dexterous cooperative handling of a nonspherical object in microscopic workspaces, we present a dual-arm visuo-haptic optical tweezer system with two trapped microspheres, which are commercially available end-effectors, to realize indirect micromanipulation. By combining the precise correction technique of distortions in scanning optical tweezers and computer vision techniques, our dual-arm system allows a user to perceive the real contact forces during the cooperative manipulation of an object. The system enhances the dexterity of bimanual micromanipulation by employing the real-time representation of the forces and their directions. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the cooperative indirect micromanipulation of single nonspherical objects, specifically, a glass fragment and a large diatom. Moreover, the precise correction method of the scanning optical tweezers is described. The unique capabilities offered by the proposed dual-arm visuo-haptic system can facilitate research on biomedical materials and single-cells under an optical microscope.