State of the art: micro-nanorobotic manipulation in single cell analysis

Abstract

Single cell analysis is an essential research approach to reveal the secret of life. At such a small scale, it puts forward higher demand on the accuracy of the cell manipulation system. This paper reviews the state of the art of micro-nanorobotic manipulation in single cell analysis. First, the key applications of the micro-nanorobotic manipulation system in single cell analysis are introduced, including the single cell injection, positioning, characterization, assembly, and the development of biomedical device. Then, the current key techniques, challenges, and future trends in micro-nanorobot are discussed from the aspects of actuating, sensing, controlling, system integration, and commercialization. To meet the requirement of cell biology, the next generation micro-nanorobot should have small, automatic, high integration and applicable features in multiscale.