Laser-Printing and 3D Optical-Control of Untethered Microrobots

The two-photon photo-polymerization (2PP) method is used to manufacture an articulated micro-robot for indirect manipulation of cellular structures under laser light. To tackle the stickiness issue between the components of the proposed mechanism, optimizing the contact surface areas is carried out. A step-by-step procedure to manufacture and control an untethered articulated micro-robot under laser light is demonstrated. The manufacture and optical control of a floating multi-component micro-mechanism has not been achieved before. This is significant because it is anticipated that the articulated microrobots could be used in complex biomedical applications where control in 3D space is required such as single-cell analysis, embryo injection, polar-body biopsy, nuclear transplantation, and multi-dimensional imaging for microsurgery.