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Tiny robots with a big impact: microrobots for single-cell handling
Fitted with nanoscale grippers, these microrobots offer new opportunities for imaging and manipulating single cells.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, meaning the light beam exerts force back on the small object keeping it in place. Once in their grip, the elasticity of the microrobot keeps the cell in place, freeing up the beam to trap a stiffer part of the tool and manipulate it, much like the cotton ball and spatula example above. As optical tweezers are still specialized, Kelemen doesn’t expect every lab to have the capacity to use their new microtools but those that do have the equipment can modify and optimize them for new tasks.
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