Automatic micromanipulation system using stereoscopic microscope

In this paper, we developed a visual feedback system that controls a micromanipulator so that a needle head may reach a target. The system consists of a stereoscopic microscope, a micromanipulator, two CCD cameras and a personal computer. The position of the target and the needle head under stereoscopic microscope are measured three dimensionally by using two CCD cameras which are set to eyepieces of the microscope. It is necessary that the image processing employed be fast so that the micromanipulation can be carried out at a realistic rate. The image processing time for detecting the target and the needle head is greatly reduced by using image compression.