Soft‐Contact Acoustic Microgripper Based on a Controllable Gas–Liquid Interface for Biomicromanipulations

Abstract

engineering, [2] drug delivery, [3] and biomedical research. [4] Until now, micromanipulation methods based on direct physical contact have been used widely.To achieve capture and transportation, different end-effectors have been introduced into systems, such as a microgripper for direct grasping [5] or driven by negative pressure [6] and a cantilever. [7] Through visual feedback, micromanipulation can be realized efficiently and effectively. However, direct contact between solid manipulation tools and bioentities may cause potential damage to living cells that would be difficult to observe by the naked eye. [8] Despite the potential damage to living cells during the manipulation process, the release of micro-objects also poses a significant challenge because of the adhesion force at the microscale due to direct physical contact.The ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202104579.

Advancements in materials, manufacturing, propulsion and localization: propelling soft robotics for medical applications

“…In vitro medical applications of soft robots include but not limit to: environmental monitoring ( Rao et al, 2015 ; Chen X.-Z. et al, 2017 ), surgical assistance ( Kim H. et al, 2020 ), rehabilitation therapy ( Al-Fahaam et al, 2016 ), targeted delivery ( Li et al, 2022 ), developing disease models ( Roche et al, 2017 ; Zrinscak et al, 2023 ), functional structures ( Calderon et al, 2019 ; Pang et al, 2021 ; Ying et al, 2021 ) and tissue engineering ( Zhou Y. et al, 2021 ). Solovev et al (2010) wirelessly controlled microrobots using external magnets to assist with loading, transport, delivery, and assembly of microparticles and nanosheets in fuel solutions, shown in Figure 2A .…”

“…External wireless propulsion is an active research area focusing on magnetic ( Frutiger et al, 2009 ; You et al, 2021 ), optical ( Ahn et al, 2019 ; Yin et al, 2021 ), and acoustic ( Xu et al, 2017 ; Zhou Y. et al, 2021 ) actuation. Magnetic driving generates forces or torques using magnetic field gradients or alternating fields, which can modulate velocity and trajectories through changes in field strength and direction.…”

Review of Bubble Applications in Microrobotics: Propulsion, Manipulation, and Assembly

“…Recently, Li et al contained a microbubble at the top of a micropipette, and generated secondary radiation force and microstreaming to capture and rotate microbeads in an aqueous medium via acoustic vibrating microbubble near its resonant frequency [ 171 ]. Using the same principle, Zhou et al [ 172 ] generated a bubble at the tip of the micropipette of a 3D gripper, and the bubble volume was controlled by adjusting the pressure in the micropipette. By replacing the micropipette with different needle tip sizes, bubbles with diameters of 20 µm to 1 mm were obtained.…”

“… ( a ) The rotation and transportation motion of an acoustic bubble-based noninvasive microgripper. Adapted from Zhou et al [ 172 ] with permission from John Wiley and Sons, Copyright 2021. ( b ) Upper: energy harvesting mechanism based on an acoustically oscillating bubble.…”

An Untethered Magnetic Microgripper for High‐Throughput Micromanipulation

“…Microgrippers are small micro/millimeter‐sized robotic devices that can grasp micro‐objects in a narrow and confined environment with accuracy that may not be achieved using manual operations. [ 1 ] Further, the controllability and adaptivity of the untethered designs of this device facilitated them as a promising tool for several applications such as particle manipulation [ 2–4 ] and micro‐assembly. [ 5–7 ] Meanwhile, a strong emphasis has been provided on understanding different aspects of the microgrippers, including the design, [ 8 ] fabrication, [ 9 ] and assembly [ 10 ] that can ease the overall challenges, such as complex structures, amplified stiffness, slow response time, and limited manipulations.…”