Development of Micro-manipulator for Microscopic Cell Operation

1986 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 60850045
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Developmental Scientific Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: 機械力学・制御工学
• Research Institution: TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• Principal Investigator: UMETANI Yoji Tokyo Institute of Technology, Professor, 工学部, 教授 (20013120)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HIROSE Shigeo Tokyo Institute of Technology, Associate Professor, 工学部, 助教授 (70108215)
• Project Period (FY): 1985 – 1986
• Keywords: micro-manipulator / robot / cell operation / gene-technology / microscopic operation tool / 画像処理 / サーボマニピュレータ

Research Abstract

The object of this investigation is to develop and realize a high-performance micro-manipulator capable of operating the living cell to shear or dig the wall of the cell in order to stew off or replace the gene with the other.
As the first step, a micro-actuator with three degrees of freedom was made in trial. This actuator having a beam shape can bend itself according to the intensity of electric voltage input, because the shank of the actuator is composed of piezo-electric ceramic material shaped in bimorphy.
In order to detect the deviation of the shank due to contact with the cell, a new idea was introduced; the stem is forced to oscillate autonomously and the induced force by touching should be proportional to the deviation of the amplitude of oscillation which gives the principle of his detecting.
The whole system of the micro-manipulator was constructed, verifying possibility of realizing this new brand micro-manipulator system.