Abstract
This paper presents an innovative arched ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuator for micromanipulating soft matters (e.g. cells). With a pair of through-hole structures at two front ends of the actuator, versatile designed micro-tools can be individually installed onto and replaced from the actuator. Two micro-tools of scissor-type gripper and elastic pin structure are developed to strengthen the clamping force of the gripper and convert a squeeze/pull motion to forward/backward motion, respectively. Through the location design of a hinge joint on the scissor-type gripping tool, the gripper tip can produce several times larger force on than at the end of the assembled actuator. A microneedle can be mounted onto the pin of arc-shaped PDMS tool to manipulate a single cell in a linear motion through electrically controlling IPMC actuation.