Design, optimization and construction of MEMS-based micro grippers for cell manipulation

The need of micromanipulation devices has been growing rapidly during the last decades, specially in the fields of Biology and Micro-Assembly, and many solutions have been proposed to cope with the increasing demand. The present paper suggests a possible way to micromanipulating objects in various conditions, adopting MEMS technologies to develop a microgripper based on a new flexural hinge, recently patented by the Authors. The micromechanism has been modified considering results obtained through FEA. Finally, a brief description of the construction process is provided, together with some experimental activities.