Cell Squeezer
Supermarket shoppers squeeze fruit to see if it’s ripe. The same sort of test could one day be applied to cells in a lab dish as a way of diagnosing disease. Ted Hubbard, a mechanical engineer at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has developed a pair of silicon claws small enough to squeeze individual cells just a few micrometers in diameter. Using spring-loaded joints controlled by an electrical current, the microgripper can measure the force needed to break the cells, an indicator of cellular health that could be used to test, say, blood cells for infection or cells from a biopsy to see if they are cancerous. Hubbard has shown that his device can grip dead, dry cells, and he is now developing a version able to grab live cells in liquid. He is part of a group of researchers that plans to develop, within seven years, a prototype micromachined diagnostic device incorporating the microgripper, for the lab or doctor’s office.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.