A Magnetically Actuated Bistable Microgripper for Cell Manipulation
Qiqiang Sun, Lizhi Pan, Mingzhu Yin, Jinhua Li, Shuxin Wang
Abstract
This letter introduces a novel magnetically actuated bistable microgripper designed for stable cell manipulation. The microgripper integrates a bistable mechanism with soft gripping jaws and magnetic actuation to achieve high gripping stability, rapid responsiveness, and energy efficiency without continuous energy input. The bistable mechanism fabricated from magnetorheological elastomer facilitates gripping and releasing through two discrete stable states, while the soft gripping jaws fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane enhance adaptability of the microgripper for handling delicate biological specimens, minimizing potential damage. A region-specific molding technique is applied to seamlessly incorporate two materials, enabling both structural robustness and biocompatibility of the microgripper. Experimental results confirm the durability and actuation performance of the microgripper. The microgripper demonstrates a 98.2% success rate for manipulating micro-objects across various media, including air, water, and silicone oil, and shows high success in handling micro-objects ranging from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. Additionally, zebrafish embryonic cell experiments demonstrate that the microgripper enables safe and reliable manipulation of delicate biological specimens without causing noticeable damage. These results underscore the stability and adaptability of the microgripper, establishing it as a promising tool for cell manipulation.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{ral2025_amagneticallyact,
title = {A Magnetically Actuated Bistable Microgripper for Cell Manipulation},
author = {Qiqiang Sun and Lizhi Pan and Mingzhu Yin and Jinhua Li and Shuxin Wang},
booktitle = {RA-L 2025},
year = {2025}
}