AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 261, Issue 5 C936-C943, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society
A compact and stable hydraulic micromanipulator patterned after a Huxley-style approach
J. W. Krueger
Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461.
I describe a remote-controlled micromanipulator platform that is stable,
durable, precise, and easy to construct. Small metallic bellows are used
for hydraulic control, where all fluid connections are made by standard
1/16-in. high-performance liquid chromatography fittings. Inspired by the
parallelogram suspension utilized in the larger Huxley-style
micromanipulator (A. F. Huxley. J. Physiol. Lond. 157: 6-5P, 1961), the
device is a compact cradle suspension of folded lever arms that creates
vertical motions which have minimal cross-coupled horizontal error. A
simple arrangement for securing the bellows in the remote controller
counteracts the vertical cross-coupling error that arises in the
parallelogram suspension so that the position of the microtool more
faithfully corresponds to the micrometer settings. Being compact, the
micromanipulator can be mounted on a microscope stage to eliminate the
microscope's resonance as a source of vibration. This feature also reduces
the cantilevering of the microtool that 1) is a source of parasitic
vibrations and 2) limits the load bearing in larger devices which can only
be placed alongside the microscope. The device has a good dynamic response,
and one design suits both right- and left-handed use.
