Micro-grippers for Biomedical and Biomechanical Studies

We present two innovative micro-grippers. One of them is designed to handle living cell clusters without damaging them. This gripper will be a disposable, and the main design focus lies on low-cost fabrication. In its current development stage it is completely made of SU-8 in a one layer design. The gripper jaw movement is generated pneumatically, and the gripper force is measured optically. The second micro-gripper made of silicon will be used to biomechanically characterize skeletal muscle cubes and fibres. It is actuated by SMA spring elements working differentially. To measure the gripping force, piezoresistive sensor elements are integrated in close proximity to the gripping jaws. For this kind of gripper the costs are less important than a well-defined gripper performance, and a large jaw displacement.