We develop a new micromanipulation system for anatomical operation of the micro-object such as an embryo, cell, and microbe. The image of the microscope is two-dimensional, so it is hard to manipulate the target in the 3D space. To improve the manipulation work, we proposed a 3D bio-micromanipulation system combined with a virtual reality (VR) space. We propose a 3D object modeling method for presenting 3D visual information to the operator and improve the operation environment. In this system, we still have difficulty in changing the orientation of the microscopic object by manipulating a mechanical manipulator. The bio-aligner proposed is a micro device for the posture control of an object. We develop a 2D bio-aligner by microfabrication. Here we show its fabrication process and a basic rotating experiment with yeast cells.

A need has arisen to manipulate a small biological object, such as an embryo, cell, and microbe. Bio-micromanipulation is important for biology and the bioengineering field. However, it is very difficult, since the object is very small, kept in liquid, and observed by an optical microscope. The image of the microscope is two dimensional, so it is hard to manipulate the target in 3D space. The object is fragile, so it is hard to manipulate safely. To improve the manipulation works, the authors propose the viewpoint selection method in VR space, and a bilateral control system to improve manipulation of the micro object under the microscope.

In the biotechnology field, it is very difficult to manipulate microscopic material through human handling. There is a great need for a new experiment system that is easy to operate. We show a 3D calibration technique for improving positional errors of a glass pipette tip, furnished on a micro-manipulator. We then propose a method of observing the manipulator tip of sub-micron order accuracy using a newly developed lighting method by an optical fiber. We also take account of the influence of the positional error of the z-axis introduced from the optical system. In the last part of the paper, we show the effectiveness of these methods through experiments.

Working robots with agents in the same place has become known by the expansion of the use of a remote control robot. For that reason, we need a safety system which prevents a robot from collision with an agent. An ER-joint realizes high-speed response and force-limiting mechanism at the same time. We apply these properties to an automatic safety mechanism to prevent a collision accident. Then we prove the stability of this system in the case of normal operations by Lyapunov's direct method, and apply the system to a micro-injector in order to show the effectiveness of the mechanism.