Teleoperated laser manipulator with dielectrophoretic assistance for selective separation of a microbe

Abstract

We propose a new methodology for isolation of a microbe by the optical radiation pressure and dielectrophoretic force under the microscope. Our methodology is based on the fact that an arbitrary single microbe can be isolated speedily in a microchannel, even though there are a large number of these microbes in a solution. We show that once the target microbe is trapped at the focal point of the laser manipulator, we can easily realize the non-contact exclusion of a large number of excess microbes immediately by controlling the electric field, while keeping the target at the focal point. To improve the operability of the micromanipulation in solution and to realize high-speed separation, the technique of sequential, precise and non-invasive handling is necessary. We propose a new teleoperation method using bilateral control to improve the operability of micromanipulation. Our method can be extremely useful in the pure cultivation of the targeted microbe and will be a promising method for biologists in discovering a new microbe.