This study proposes a novel strategy for cross-scale position of robotic micromanipulation. The strategy utilizes multiple-scale augmented reality (AR) markers for locating the robotic manipulator on different scales. The macro-marker (3.0 cm-per side, 5 mm×5 mm each square) is applied to position the robot to the microscopic manipulation area. The micro-marker (2.4 mm-per side, 400 μm×400 μm each square) is used for positioning the end-effector under microscopic view. After the fabrication of the markers, the camera's internal parameter matrix was first calibrated. Subsequently, we conducted the detection effect of macro- and micro-markers. Since the observation effect of micro-markers is different under the microscope, the detection distance of the micro-marker was corrected and compensated, and the fixed reference marker was introduced for the correction in different focus heights. Finally, based on detection markers, a robotic manipulator, integrated with a microfluidic chip as an end-effector, was employed to demonstrate the micromanipulation of loading oocytes. The proposed strategy has a potential application in the biology laboratory automation.

This study proposes a novel movable microfluidic chip in which a microfluidic chip is integrated into a robotic manipulator for manipulating oocytes. The microfluidic device has the ability to release a single oocyte with a gap effect. The robotic manipulator can control the position of the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip with a pipette tip is directly fabricated using 3D printing. Xenopus oocyte was used in the experiment. When oocytes move from the back side of the channel to the front side, they generate gaps between each other. The gap distance can reach about 16 times the diameter of the oocyte. In addition, a capacitive sensor was used to detect oocytes in the manipulation processes. The results showed that oocytes were successfully released one by one with no deformation in shape using the movable microfluidic chip. The method has significant advantages in biomedicine engineering and micro-nano-manipulation.

This work presents a novel electrical method, implemented in the form of a microfluidic device, for cell arraying and target cell lysis. The microfluidic device contains a micro-well array on the photoconductive layer based on the optoelectronic tweezers (OET) method, where parallel cell manipulation is performed. As cell suspension flows over the micro-wells, cells can be actively captured in the micro-wells by light-induced dielectrophoresis (DEP) forces, form the designed pattern array in less than 120 s. The single-cell capture rate is over 83 % in the patterned cell array, and about 94% of micro-wells are occupied by cells. Then, the target cell in the specific micro-well is illuminated and lysed by electroporation in 5 seconds. The micro-well barriers and DEP forces block the influence of the flow, and a relatively closed space is critical to preserve the cell lysates. Through experiments, light-induced DEP force cell capture and target cell electroporation can be modulated by changing the light patterns and the applied signal. This device, based on the OET and dynamic electroporation, allows the rapidity in the cell capture and target lysis at the single-cell level and can enable single-cell-based studies, such as molecular diagnostics and disease detection.

Non-contact manipulation technology has extensive application in the manipulation and fabrication of micro/nanomaterials. However, the manipulation devices are often precise and complex, operated only by professionals and subject to site constraints. We propose a simple optoelectronic tweezer platform, which can be controlled remotely and simply for the manipulation of microparticles at different scales, based on the novel manipulation technique called optically-induced dielectrophoresis. In this work, we design and set up the optoelectronic tweezer manipulation platform and develop the full-function human-computer interactive control interface and graphics rendering system to simplify the micro-operation process. Using Qt5.0 development environment, an experimental image processing system with multi-thread characteristics is developed, and the information interaction requirements needed in the experimental operation of optoelectronic tweezers are integrated into a control system to achieve unified information management and data analysis. Combined with cloud computing technology, the system realizes local/remote synchronous linkage operation, with cross-platform operation capability of various portable operating terminals like laptop and iPad.

In this paper, we present a magnetized cell-robot using macrophages as templates, which can be controlled under a strong gradient magnetic field, to approach and kill cancer cells in both vitro and vivo environment. Firstly, we establish a magnetic control system using only four coils which can generate gradient field up to 4.14 T/m utilizing the coupled field contributed by multiple electromagnets acting in concert. Most importantly, the cell-robot which is based on the macrophage is proposed, and can be transported to the vicinity of cancer cells precisely using strong gradient magnetic field. Then the cell-robot will actively phagocytose the cancer cells and eventually kill them, achieving the cancer treatment at the cellular level. It has important significance for guiding accurate targeted therapy in vivo for the future, under the premise of zero harm to the human body.