A low-cost automated micromanipulator
Author(s)
Phan, Tuan M.
Download1127827323-MIT.pdf (4.188Mb)
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Advisor
Joe Steinmeyer.
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Show full item recordAbstract
The automated micromanipulator, a device widely used in the life sciences, allows precise three-dimensional positioning of tools and equipment with resolutions at or well below one micrometer, providing cellular-level movement resolution in a highly-controlled manner. The cost of a state-of-the- art electromechanical micromanipulator can be upwards of ten thousand dollars for a complete system, and can be a major, if not limiting, expense for labs, startups, and even hobbyists in these fields. The objective of this project is to build a proof-of-concept micromanipulation device that provides similar levels of performance, but at a price in the range of several hundred dollars. We intend to achieve this by utilizing equipment made recently and inexpensively available at low-costs because of the hobbyist 3D-printing market, as well as advances in piezoelectrics and imaging technologies from the last five years. By accomplishing this, the barrier of entry for work requiring sub-micron measurement will be lowered significantly.
Description
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2019 Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (page 39).
Date issued
2019Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer SciencePublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.