3D viewpoint selection and bilateral control for bio-micromanipulation

Abstract

A need has arisen to manipulate a small biological object, such as an embryo, cell, and microbe. Bio-micromanipulation is important for biology and the bioengineering field. However, it is very difficult, since the object is very small, kept in liquid, and observed by an optical microscope. The image of the microscope is two dimensional, so it is hard to manipulate the target in 3D space. The object is fragile, so it is hard to manipulate safely. To improve the manipulation works, the authors propose the viewpoint selection method in VR space, and a bilateral control system to improve manipulation of the micro object under the microscope.