Compliant microgripper for in-vitro biological manipulation

We present a feasibility study on biological tissue and cell manipulation by a novel, multi-hinge microgripper characterized by high dexterity and complex in-plane tips displacement, while being at the same time highly compact and easy to manufacture via MEMS technology. The device was obtained by combining selective flexibility with planar fabrication technology and has been developed to propose new solutions for miniaturized, inexpensive, energy-efficient, effective and accurate manipulation at the micro-scale. The presented study consists of a direct morphological comparison with real-life cardiac and lung tissue samples, and was accomplished via in-vitro microscope observation. The results highlight the function capability of manipulating, grasping and clamping objects having a size of 50 to 150 µm, including muscle fibers, blood vessels and cells, encouraging further developments toward an in-vivo scenario with actual biological material.