Microobjects gripping with controllable menisci based on pressure adjustment

Flexible and reliable gripping is a fundamental task in various micromanipulation and microassembly fields. Shape-controllable menisci based on pressure adjustment were proposed to pick up microobjects. Lifting force is provided by a controllable liquid bridge which is formed between the capillary tube and the microobject. The volume and the shape of the meniscus could be regulated dynamically by changing the pressure at the capillary nozzle orifice, thus the capillary force alters correspondingly. The pressure adjustment was realized by adjusting the height of the reservoir device precisely. Fluent software was used to simulate the fluid meniscus under different pressures. Experiments were performed to achieve controllable meniscus with different height difference of liquid level between the reservoir device and the capillary nozzle orifice, and microobjects griping operations were executed to verify the method.