Wearable auxiliary devices for visually impaired people are highly attractive research topics. Although many proposed wearable navigation devices can assist visually impaired people in obstacle avoidance and navigation, these devices cannot feedback detailed information about the obstacles or help the visually impaired understand the environment. In this paper, we proposed a wearable navigation device for the visually impaired by integrating the semantic visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) and the newly launched powerful mobile computing platform. This system uses an Image-Depth (RGB-D) camera based on structured light as the sensor, as the control center. We also focused on the technology that combines SLAM technology with the extraction of semantic information from the environment. It ensures that the computing platform understands the surrounding environment in real-time and can feed it back to the visually impaired in the form of voice broadcast. Finally, we tested the performance of the proposed semantic visual SLAM system on this device. The results indicate that the system can run in real-time on a wearable navigation device with sufficient accuracy.

Magnetic microrobots are vital tools for targeted therapy, drug delivery, and micromanipulation on cells in the biomedical field. In this paper, we report an automated control and path planning method of magnetic microrobots based on computer vision. Spherical microrobots can be driven in the rotating magnetic field generated by electromagnetic coils. Under microscopic visual navigation, robust target tracking is achieved using PID–based closed–loop control combined with the Kalman filter, and intelligent obstacle avoidance control can be achieved based on the dynamic window algorithm (DWA) implementation strategy. To improve the performance of magnetic microrobots in trajectory tracking and movement in complicated environments, the magnetic microrobot motion in the flow field at different velocities and different distribution obstacles was investigated. The experimental results showed that the vision-based controller had an excellent performance in a complex environment and that magnetic microrobots could be controlled to move to the target position smoothly and accurately. We envision that the proposed method is a promising opportunity for targeted drug delivery in biological research.

The use of vibration and acoustic characteristics for micromanipulation has been prevalent in recent years. Due to high biocompatibility, non-contact operation, and relatively low cost, the micromanipulation actuated by the vibration-induced acoustic wave and streaming flow has been widely applied in the sorting, translating, rotating, and trapping of targets at the submicron and micron scales, especially particles and single cells. In this review, to facilitate subsequent research, we summarize the fundamental theories of manipulation driven by vibration-induced acoustic waves and streaming flow. These methods are divided into two types: actuated by the acoustic wave, and actuated by the steaming flow induced by vibrating geometric structures. Recently proposed representative vibroacoustic-driven micromanipulation methods are introduced and compared, and their advantages and disadvantages are summarized. Finally, prospects are presented based on our review of the recent advances and developing trends.

Zebrafish embryo injection is often required in biomedical research using zebrafish. In the injecting operation, trapping and rotating the zebrafish embryo to achieve a proper posture is essential for the high success rate. We proposed an on-chip platform capable of efficient and automatic trapping and rotating for the injection of zebrafish embryos. A low-cost 3D-printed microchannel is designed to trap zebrafish embryos into the cavity array. The blind-hole design at each cavity can generate microbubbles, and the bubbles exposed to the acoustic wave with a specific frequency can trap and rotate the zebrafish embryos. The progress, including trapping and rotating, can be monitored and executed automatically with computer vision assistance. Experimental results show that we realized on-chip trapping and rotating operations successfully. The success rate of trapping zebrafish embryos was up to 99%, and the time of trapping a single embryo was as low as 0.2 s. Embryo rotation could be achieved by two different modes, including continuous rotation and intermittent rotation. The accuracy and maximal velocity of rotating the embryo reached 5° and 3.5 r/s, respectively. Thus, we believe the proposed efficient automatic on-chip trapping and rotating platform could support the zebrafish embryo injection well.

The concept of microfluidics has shown considerable promise for advancing chemistry, diagnostics, and biology. However, there have been no guaranteed routes of microfluidics that can achieve widespread adoption in mainstream chemistry and biomedical research. Inspired by the cooperative multiple cilia of biological organisms and tissues to generate flow, we propose an open microfluidic platform, lab on an end (LoE), to pump spatially and temporally continuous flow for multifunctional micromanipulation with the acoustohydrodynamic pillar array as an end effector. LoE brings together the micromanipulation of individual entities, liquid operations, and cell processing onto an acoustic end effector. These operations are mainly driven by acoustic radiation and two unique frequency-dependent microstreaming profiles: out-of-plane vortex near a single pillar and in-plane transmission flow surrounding the entire pillar array. Applications in embryo engineering, local morphological phenotyping of Caenorhabditis elegans for neuron research, efficient chemical reactions, and multifunctional cell processing indicate that the LoE could potentially lead to breakthroughs in understanding and using microfluidics. Its capability of integrating multiple sequential processes, inherent high accessibility, easy use, and low cost provide an end-to-end solution to mainstream chemistry and biomedical research.

Robotic non-contact three-dimensional (3-D) micromanipulation of micro-objects is critical for micro-assembly applications, but achieving high precision and reliable release in the microscale remains challenging. Traditional contact and non-contact techniques face limitations in automated 3-D operation. We present a fully automated micromanipulation system using an acoustic bubble end-effector for non-contact 3-D handling of microbeads. The system integrates real-time vision feedback with Z-axis autofocus and adaptive proportional-integral-derivative control for precise trapping, transport, and release. Leveraging localized bubble-driven microstreaming and acoustic radiation forces, our end-effector forms a stable trap within 100 ms and transports microbeads at speeds up to 1 mm/s. Experiments demonstrate exceptional 3-D dexterity, with trapping success rates consistently greater than 80% for microbeads of 60-120 μm diameter, and release placement accuracy is confirmed to be within ±2.5 μm when operating below a 150 μm height. The system achieves broad size adaptability and operates in free-space 3-D environments, overcoming workspace constraints of microfluidic setups. By eliminating mechanical contact, this approach reduces contamination and damage while delivering precise 3-D control often lacking in other non-contact methods. Our system bridges acoustofluidics and robotic automation, offering a versatile solution for automated micro-assembly and biomedical applications.