Cyber-Physical Microsystems for Manipulating, Sensing, and Analyzing Biological Systems
Pr. Satoshi Konishi
Ritsumeikan University (Shiga, Japan)
27/11/2026
14h – IEMN Laboratoire Central – Amphi
Abstract:
This talk picks up three soft microsystem technologies developed to enable active interaction with biological objects and environments beyond conventional microscopic observation. First, a smart micro-finger robot for a tactile microscope will be introduced as a cyber-physical microsystem toward extended-reality applications. Soft micro-fingers integrating pneumatic balloon actuators as artificial muscles with flexible sensors such as force and temperature sensors can touch, manipulate, and feel tiny objects under a microscope. Applications include manipulation of cellular aggregates, palpation for locating stiffness singularities, thermal-source detection, and active force sensing in interactions with pill bugs, and more… Second, openable tubular organ-on-a-chip devices formed by soft microactuator arrays will be presented. Planar devices can be opened for cell preparation and observation and subsequently transformed into tubular structures that reproduce the geometry and dynamic deformation of biological tracts. Integration of permeable membranes and controlled actuation provides platforms for evaluating transport, drug permeation, and mechanically active cellular environments in vitro. Third, droplet array sandwiching technology and its biomedical applications will be described. Facing droplet arrays allow many paired droplets to be contacted, separated, and transported in parallel, while electrowetting and electrically induced oscillation provide selective transfer and enhanced mixing of small-volume samples. The technology supports automated control of concentrations and reactions in high-throughput biochemical analysis.
Together, these technologies show how soft MEMS can add tactile interaction, reconfigurable three-dimensional culture, and programmable liquid handling to biomedical experimentation. Their integration offers a route from merely viewing the microscopic world to actively operating, sensing, reconstructing, and analyzing it within a unified soft-microsystems framework for biomedical innovation.
Biography:
Prof. Satoshi Konishi received the BS degree in 1991 in Electronics Engineering, the MS degree in 1993 and the PhD degree in 1996 in Electrical Engineering, from the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. He is currently Professor (2006-) with Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan, where he joined the faculty in 1996. He also has served as a fellow of Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA) since 2022. He has served president of IEEJ-E and board member of directors of IEEJ for two years (2024-2026). He also served as general chair of International Conference of MEMS2007 and Transducers2023.His study is devoted to MEMS for cyber-physical systems in biomedical application such as « smart micro-finger-robot » for « tactile microscope » and biohybrid MEMS for automatically controllable cell and tissue system. He was awarded IEEJ IEEJ Technical Development Award (2026), IEEJ-E The IEEJ-E APCOT Best Paper Award (2024), IAAM (International Association of Advanced Materials) Fellow (lifetime) (2026), Scientist Medal (2024).
