Low-Cost Manipulator and Mini-Tool System for Submillimeter Biomedical Samples

描述(申请人提供)：优点：总体目标是开发一种低成本的全机械手动机械手和微型工具系统，以满足在生物医学研究中对尺寸范围为0.01至1 mm的小生物标本进行动态操作的已证明的需求。例如：解剖植物或动物的组织样本的小器官(细胞组合)；从电泳胶或部分染色体中分离条带；分类和挑选纳米化石；从复杂的环境样本中分离单个小生物，以便进行基因组分析。其目标是产生一个有效的、强大的系统，使广大用户群体受益，并且负担得起。一般的办法是利用商业技术进行玻璃体视网膜手术：用于人眼内玻璃体视网膜手术的商用小型工具，包括多种款式的毫米级剪刀和钳子；金属波纹管，用于驱动微型遥控液压执行器进行玻璃体视网膜手术；受电弓手动微操作器，对动态操作具有特殊优势；以及可移动基座，使用2个弧形轨道，将标本和工具放置在球面坐标空间的中心，从而使工具的姿势可以在很大范围内重新定位。这些工具、致动器、机械手和底座一起将形成一个完整的低成本全机械系统，用于在生物医学研究的多个领域的显微标本上执行常见的动态操作。低于2000美元的价格是一个目标。PI开发了一种创新的方法来改进受电弓操纵器，使其能够将手的运动减少50倍，比目前仅允许4倍运动减少的设计改进了10倍。项目管理：PI将执行具体目标#1和#6，评估不同风格和品牌的商业玻璃体-视网膜仪器尖端，并在生物组织上测试产品的功能。评估将被纳入优化产品中。目标2、3、4和5，根据本申请中包含的设计，涉及特定机械部件的设计和制造，将由商业合同工程公司或系内机械商店执行。俄亥俄大学物理与天文学专业。更广泛的影响：这个项目可能会产生可以商业化的专利产品。另一个目标是延长技术熟练的研究人员的职业生涯，这些研究人员可能会失去开展涉及人工操作生物样本的研究的能力，例如随着年龄的增长。该项目将为即将录用的工程或物理本科生提供有吸引力的跨学科教育和培训机会。 公共卫生相关性：(由申请人提供)：该项目可能导致可专利产品的商业化。另一个目标是延长技术熟练的研究人员的职业生涯，这些研究人员可能会失去开展涉及人工操作生物样本的研究的能力，例如随着年龄的增长。该项目将为即将录用的工程或物理本科生提供有吸引力的跨学科教育和培训机会。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Merits: The general aim is to develop a low-cost all-mechanical manual manipulator & mini-tool system that addresses demonstrated needs in biomedical research for dynamic operations on small biological specimens in the size range of 0.01 to 1 mm. Examples include: dissecting small organs (cell assemblages) of tissue samples from plants or animals; isolating bands from electrophoresis gels, or parts of chromosomes; sorting and picking nanofossils; separation of single small organisms from complex environmental samples, for genomic analysis. The goal is to produce an effective robust system that would benefit a broad user community, and would be affordable. The general approach will be to exploit commercial technologies for: commercial small tools for vitreoretinal surgery inside human eyes, including millimeter-scale scissors & forceps of many styles; metal bellows, to drive a miniature remote control hydraulic actuator for the vitreoretinal mini-tools; pantograph manual micromanipulators, which have special advantages for dynamic operations; and a movable base that uses 2 arc-shaped tracks, places the specimen and tool at the center of a spherical-coordinate space, and thereby allows the pose of a tool to be reoriented over a large range of angles. These tools, actuator, manipulator, and base together will form a complete low-cost all-mechanical system for performing common dynamic operations on microscopic specimens from several realms of biomedical research. A price tag below $2000 is a goal. The PI has developed an innovative approach to improving pantograph manipulators, to make them capable of 50x reduction of hand motion, a >10x improvement over current designs which allow only 4x motion reduction. Project Management: The PI will carry out specific aims #1 & 6, to evaluate different styles & brands of commercial vitreoretinal instrument tips, and to test on biological tissues the functionality of products. Evaluations would be incorporated into optimized products. Aims 2,3,4,&5, involving design and fabrication of specific mechanical parts, according to the designs included in this application, will be carried out by commercial contract engineering firms, or by the on-campus mechanical shop in the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy at Ohio University. Broader Impacts: This project may lead to patentable products that could be commercialized. Another aim is to extend the careers of skilled researchers who may lose the ability to carry out research involving manual manipulation of biological samples, e.g. with age. 7 The project will provide attractive interdisciplinary educational and training opportunities for the engineering or physics undergraduate student to be hired. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: (provided by applicant): This project may lead to patentable products that could be commercialized. Another aim is to extend the careers of skilled researchers who may lose the ability to carry out research involving manual manipulation of biological samples, e.g. with age. The project will provide attractive interdisciplinary educational and training opportunities for the engineering or physics undergraduate student to be hired.