Untethered micro-robot with gripping mechanism for on-chip cell surgery utilizing outer magnetic force

Abstract

We have developed a highly functional untethered micro-robot that can manipulate cells with high gripping force in a micro-fluidic chip. The robot has gripping mechanism for grasping and transportation of cells with sufficient power. A permanent magnet is attached at the center of the gripping mechanism, and an electrical magnet controls the position of the magnet from the bottom of the micro-fluidic chip. The distance accuracy of the gripper is 3.0 μm, and it can activate about 50 Hz. The robot has four permanent magnets for positioning, and other four permanent magnets control the robot from the bottom of the micro-fluidic chip. The robot is made very thin and small to allow maneuverability in a micro-fluidic chip. We succeeded in high-power handling and cutting of a cell using this micro-robot.