Miniature origami robot for various biological micromanipulations

Bo Feng, Yide Liu (), Jiahang Zhang, Shaoxing Qu () and Wei Yang
Additional contact information
Bo Feng: Zhejiang University
Yide Liu: Zhejiang University
Jiahang Zhang: Zhejiang University
Shaoxing Qu: Zhejiang University
Wei Yang: Zhejiang University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Robotic micromanipulation is widely applied in biological research and medical procedures, providing a level of operational precision and stability beyond human capability. Compared with traditional micromanipulators that require assembly from many parts, origami manipulators offer advantages such as small size, lightweight, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. However, there are still requirements in biological application to address regarding stiffness, precision, and dexterity. Achieving a compact and functional parallel mechanism through origami structures remains a challenging problem. Here, we present the Micro-X4, a 4-Degree-of-Freedom (4-DoF) origami micromanipulator, which offers a workspace of 756 mm3, with a precision of 346 nm and a stiffness of 2738 N/m. We conduct a series of micromanipulation tasks, ranging from the tissue scale to the subcellular scale, including pattern cutting, cell positioning and puncturing, as well as cell cutting and insertion. Contact force measurement is further integrated to demonstrate precise control over cell operations and puncturing. We envision the Micro-X4 as the foundation for the next generation of lightweight and compact micromanipulation devices.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57815-5 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-57815-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57815-5

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().