CAREER: Novel Wireless, Micro-Force Sensing Mobile Microrobots for Mechanobiology and Automated Biomanipulation

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This project, creating a novel class of magnetically-controlled, mobile microrobots with two-dimensional vision-based micro-force sensing end-effectors, has the potential to advance both the state of the art in microrobots and the state-of-the-art in biological cell micromanipulation. By combining advanced mobile manipulation microrobots with a MEMS-based micro-force sensor, a novel, transformative tool for future advancements in mechanobiology and automated biomanipulation will result.The end-effectors of the proposed mobile microbots consist of micro-compliant mechanisms with custom-designed force-deflection characteristics whose deformations are observed with a camera attached to an optical microscope. The grippers will be fabricated along with a soft magnetic microrobot body and therefore controllable with external magnetic field gradients. These micro-force sensing mobile microrobots will have real-time micro-force-control manipulation capabilities specifically tailored for mechanobiology and automated biomanipulation tasks. A portable ìBio-Robotics test-bed, designed to fit comfortably around both inverted optical or confocal microscopes, is proposed to facilitate outreach and future collaborative research. Finally, a series of proof-of-concept application studies related to single cell and biomaterial adhesion and cell characterization will be conducted to showcase the efficacy of the system.Broader Impacts: Advances in mechanobiology and automated biomanipulation enabled by this proposal will directly impact the healthcare of many. The research and educational/outreach efforts of this proposal will impact students from the high school to the graduate levels. Student teams will participate in an international mobile microrobotic competition, as well as the ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition, to stimulate students' interests in undergraduate research. Local elementary and high school students will be enriched through the Stevens' Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education and the Stevens Exploring Career Options in Engineering and Science program.