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MIT’s Star Wars-inspired ‘tractor beam’ uses light to capture, manipulate cells | This device could be used to study DNA, identify different types of cells, and explore the underlying causes of diseases.

MIT scientists have developed this tiny, chip-based device similar to the “tractor beam” in Star Wars.

This presents a great solution for biologists, since it provides them with optical trapping and tweezing functionality without the overhead of a complicated bulk-optical setup,” said Jelena Notaros, who is the Robert J. Shillman Career Development Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). Moreover, this precise control over particle movement is crucial for various applications in biology and medicine, as it enables researchers to study cellular processes, analyze DNA, and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. This chip-based "tractor-beam," which uses an intensely focused beam of light to capture and manipulate biological particles without damaging the cells, could help biologists study the mechanisms of diseases.

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