Pneumatically driven microcage for microbe manipulation in a biological liquid environment

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and force analysis of a pneumatically driven microcage. Pneumatic actuation, suitable to function in a wide range of environments, is especially useful for operation in a small liquid space. The capture of single motile microbes (Volvox and Stentor similar to 400 mu m) in aqueous environments is demonstrated with the microcage. The setup for the capture experiment includes a visualization scheme, a robotic micropositioner, and an electropneumatic control system that facilitates the underwater tracking of the moving microbes and the operation of the microcage for subsequent capture.