Canada "micro robot" can be a good start cell

According to the United Kingdom the New Scientist magazine today reported that the development of new micro-Toronto machine hand is a pair of miniature machine vise, has the most sensitive of the grip, you can grab and move a cell, but does not destroy the cells.

This tiny robot can be used to assemble the cells to man-made structure or manufacture of Micron and Nano devices.

This machine can do little to forceps 20 na Newton's force, 1 na Newton is one billionth of a Newton.

University of Toronto is responsible for the development of this project more than researchers Sun (transliteration), this is a robot for the first time can feel them so slight grasping objects.

By contrast, the previous pliers to much less, not such a good feeling of power.

This machine vise can not only for the first time they weak grip strength, you can feel their contact surfaces.

When they come across things, they feel, therefore, not crashed before can help them close to the cells and other objects. This ability means that when connecting microscopes and appropriate software, the machine pliers can be in control of the automatic stabilization work. Even resorted to their body, they can only make 2 ppm of objects from the bondage of gravity, which means they can move up to 2 ppm's weight.

It is understood that this machine vise arm only about 3 mm long, five root "fingers" to seize the diameter 10 microns of cells.

In the test to hold larger heart cells, this machine is a pair of pliers in this cell is not compromised, can grab and move this cell. If you use 100 na Newton's forces seize this cell, the destruction of the cellular machine vise shape of only 15%.

This machine can be controlled by software forceps, software can identify a single cell, and you can move within a few seconds to this machine vise.

Sun Yu said, this is also fast. This machine vise with touch, can know more vigorously to seize a cell. In tests, the researchers also makes this machine one cell, forceps grab and arrange in a line to show their great talent.

Happily, this machine is quite cheap, about forceps 50 dollar a, mass production will only take about 10 dollars is enough, because they can be made by silicon etching.

This research results published in the latest issue of the micro-mechanical and micro-engineering magazine.