Virtualized reality interface for tele-micromanipulation

Operators suffer much difficulty in manipulating micro/nano-sized objects without the assistance of human-machine interfaces due to scaling effects. We developed an immersive telemanipulation system using haptic/visual/sound interfaces for observation of micro-objects under an optical microscope. As the image of the microscope is two-dimensional, so it is hard to observe the workspace in the 3-D space. To improve the real-time observation and manipulation, we proposed real-time 3-D reconstruction of the microworld using image processing and virtualized reality techniques. Then, feasible haptically-generated paths based on potentials fields reaction forces are selected for efficient pushing-based manipulation without collisions. The proposed system guides the operator's gesture fully immerged in the virtual workspace.