A micromanipulation system with dynamic force-feedback for automatic batch microinjection

Abstract

In this paper, we report the development of a prototype micromanipulation system for automatic batch microinjection of zebrafish embryos. Such automatic batch processing is made possible by (i) the development of a machine vision algorithm to identify the number of embryos in a batch and to locate the centerline of each embryo, (ii) the integration of a piezoresistive micro-force sensor with a micropipette to measure the penetration force of the embryo in real time and (iii) the synthesis of a position control with dynamic force feedback by exploiting the characteristics of the force profile associated with the microinjection process. The effectiveness of this prototype micromanipulation system has been demonstrated in an experiment. The experimental results demonstrate that the technique of position control with dynamic penetration-force feedback is practicable for automatic batch microinjection applications. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.