Instant Tool Kit Under Inverted Microscope via Integrating Digital Photopolymerization and Multimodal Electromagnetic Coils

Inverted microscope, the best option for microbiological research, has significantly advanced biology and medicine with its continuously improving resolution. Micromanipulation under an inverted microscope facilitates the complex operations and analysis of biological microobjects across various modalities and locations. However, most micromanipulation systems and tools under the inverted microscope are tailored for specific single operations and applications. Here, we propose an instant tool kit under an inverted microscope by integrating digital photopolymerization and multimodal electromagnetic coils. The digital photopolymerization subsystem could realize in situ fabrication of instant magnetic tools with arbitrary structures and programmed magnetic axes in the microchannel. As demanded, multiaxis electromagnetic coils with withdrawable iron cores generate uniform or gradient magnetic fields for magnetization and actuation. We have fabricated rigid and soft magnetic microrobots and applied them in microfluidic devices, biomimetic soft microrobots, and cargo delivery under the inverted microscope, demonstrating the potential of the proposed instant tool kit for performing multiple complex tasks.