LUCIA: a cross-functional system for miniaturized imaging window assembly

Implantable microengineered devices, from miniaturized imaging windows to microscale biosensors and tissue integrated scaffolds, are increasingly limited not by device design, but by the lack of standardized methods for assembling their micrometer scale components. Manual coupling is slow, operator dependent, and poorly suited to preserving the structural integrity these devices require, creating a bottleneck between prototyping and reliable use. Here, we present LUCIA, a compact, cost-effective, robotic microassembly system that automates handling, alignment, and bonding of micrometer scale components within a single integrated workflow. LUCIA consolidates precision positioning, controlled dispensing, and vacuum-based substrate handling, functionalities typically distributed across multiple costly commercial platforms, into one system for reproducible, low variability microdevice assembly. Compared with manual assembly, LUCIA markedly reduces coupling time and operator dependent variability. In this Methods contribution, we detail the design and implementation of this platform and validate it through the automated coupling of a miniaturized implantable imaging window that integrates microstructured scaffolds with microlenses for intravital nonlinear imaging, confirming preserved device functionality via in vivo implantation and post-implantation nonlinear microscopy. LUCIA thus establishes a scalable platform for automated microassembly, addressing a key manufacturing gap in research laboratories in translating microengineered biomedical technologies to living systems.