ASMI: An automated, low-cost indenter for soft matter

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Biophysics

Background:

• Accurate mechanical characterization of soft matter is crucial for material development and understanding biological processes.
• Existing methods for mechanical testing can be time-consuming, expensive, and lack automation capabilities.
• High-throughput screening of material properties is needed for accelerated research and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a low-cost, automated platform for rapid mechanical characterization of soft matter.
• To enable high-throughput analysis of sample batches without manual intervention.
• To facilitate programmable testing for time-dependent phenomena and closed-loop optimization.

Main Methods:

• The automated soft matter indenter (ASMI) utilizes open-source software, a modified mill, and an educational force sensor.
• A standard well-plate sample holder accommodates batches of up to 96 samples.
• The system performs programmable indentation tests to measure elastic moduli.

Main Results:

• The ASMI system can characterize samples with elastic moduli ranging from 7 kPa to 67 MPa.
• Sample acquisition time is between 1 and 10 minutes per sample.
• The total bill of materials for the system is less than $500.

Conclusions:

• The ASMI provides a cost-effective and efficient solution for high-throughput mechanical characterization of soft matter.
• Its automated and programmable nature allows for precise testing of time-dependent properties and integration into advanced workflows.
• This platform democratizes advanced mechanical testing capabilities for research and development.