Abstract
This paper describes a pneumatic balloon actuator (PBA) composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for cellular aggregate manipulation. We evaluated the ability of the microdevice to manipulate a tiny and sensitive cellular aggregate without causing serious damage. We used human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for the cellular aggregate. We describe the design, fabrication, characterization and operation of the soft microfingers to pinch and release a spherical hMSC aggregate (φ200 μm), and we employed a PBA to serve as an artificial muscle to drive the microfingers. A design of the microfingers in terms of dimensions, generated force and contact conditions was accomplished. The designed dimensions of a single finger were 560 μm×900 μm. In summary, we demonstrate the utility of the surface modification of a fingertip for pinching and releasing a cellular aggregate and describe a manipulation system that was constructed to drive and control the microfingers. The implemented manipulation system, which is composed of microfingers and a positioning mechanism, was tested and verified in a series of operations.
Highlights
A human interface requires soft and flexible features to accomplish its function while following the deformable shapes of a living body
In addition to hard Si substrates that are commonly used for microelectronics and MEMS, a flexible substrate such as a polyimide circuit board has been widely used in the design of electronics products
We present a novel application of a pneumatic balloon actuator (PBA) showing its potential in the abovementioned achievements in biomedical fields
Summary
A human interface requires soft and flexible features to accomplish its function while following the deformable shapes of a living body. It has become increasingly important to incorporate softness and flexibility into microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), especially those used for biomedical applications such as a neurointerface and in the design of minimally invasive medical instruments[3]. In addition to softness and flexibility, polymers have additional attractive features as a substrate of MEMS for biomedical applications. The molding technique is one of the most common methods used for polymer micromachining Printing technology such as screenprinting technology has been used for fine patterning on a flexible substrate.
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