Compliant Multi-hinge Microgripper for Biomanipulation: Microbeads Grasping Feasibility Study.

A feasibility study on micromanipulation performed by a novel, multi-hinge microgripper with high mechanical dexterity and complex in-plane motion is herein presented. Thanks to design concepts based on selective flexibility, the device is highly compact and easy to be manufactured by means of MEMS technologies. In the presented experimental test case, the microgripper was immersed in a complex mixture, made of saline solution with floating agarose-based microbeads as target objects; direct contact tests were carried out via microscope observation of the jaw-tips operational window. The results highlight the function capability of clamping objects of tens of microns in size, encouraging further developments toward the manipulation of actual cells.