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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

High-resolution Fiber-optic Microendoscopy for in situ Cellular Imaging
13:49

High-resolution Fiber-optic Microendoscopy for in situ Cellular Imaging

Published on: January 11, 2011

Optical fibre gripper for high-performance 3D micromanipulation.

Deng Pan1,2, Kaiwen Liang2, Chen Xin2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, China.

Nature
|June 17, 2026
PubMed

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Summary

This study introduces a novel 3D optical fibre gripper (OFG) for precise micromanipulation. The compact OFG offers superior force-to-mass ratio, enabling manipulation of diverse micro-objects in confined spaces.

Area of Science:

  • Microrobotics and Micro-manipulation
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Optical tweezers provide precise control but have limited force and environmental constraints.
  • Millimeter-scale mechanical tweezers offer higher force but lack precision.
  • Existing fiber-integrated tweezers struggle with high-performance manipulation in narrow spaces.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a high-performance, compact, fiber-integrated gripper for precise 3D micromanipulation.
  • To overcome the limitations of existing micromanipulation tools in terms of force, precision, and size.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a 3D optical fibre gripper (OFG) using two-step, two-photon polymerization.
  • Integration of rigid microclaws and a soft thermoresponsive hydrogel muscle doped with silver nanoparticles.

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  • Characterization of the OFG's force-to-mass ratio and manipulation capabilities.

    • Main Results:

    • The OFG, measuring 38 × 38 × 61 μm³, achieved a force-to-mass ratio of ~340 μN mg⁻¹, exceeding previous fiber-integrated tweezers by 1-2 orders of magnitude.
    • Demonstrated manipulation of opaque particles, irregular microcomponents, and diverse single cells.
    • Successfully performed 3D microassembly and biomimetic sampling in narrow environments (<300 μm).

    Conclusions:

    • The developed OFG is a compact fiber-tip manipulator for 3D micromanipulation.
    • It offers reversible and tunable gripping in an intermediate force regime.
    • The OFG shows significant potential for applications in microassembly and in-situ biological sampling.