Abstract

Robotic manipulation has become an enabling technology for experimental studies of living biological samples such as cells, tissues, and organisms.  In this talk, I will introduce our recent research on developing robotic devices and systems for performing a variety of manipulation tasks on small model organisms including Drosophila larva and C. elegans.  We have designed novel microfluidic devices for controlling the position and orientation of swimming/crawling organisms, developed new computer vision algorithms and learning-based models for characterizing the morphological and molecular features of these organisms, and invented automated robotic systems for applying multimodal stimulations on and injecting genetic materials into the organism bodies.  These robotic tools have enabled new studies on neuroscience, development, and genetics of Drosophila and C. elegans.  I will present our results on both technology development and biological applications, and will also briefly discuss the future directions in this area.

Speaker bio

Xinyu Liu is a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto (U of T). Prior to joining U of T, he was an Associate Professor and the Canada Research Chair in Microfluidics and BioMEMS in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. At U of T, his research activities primarily focus micro/nano robotics, soft robotics, and microfluidics. He received many international and national research awards, including 10 best paper awards at major engineering and biomedical conferences. He serves as the Corresponding Chair of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Technical Committee for Micro and Nano Robotics and Automation, a Senior Editor of IEEE Trans. Automation Science and Engineering and IEEE Robotics & Automation Letters, an Editor of Microsystems & Nanoengineering, and an Advisory Editor of Research. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, an elected Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a Fellow of ASME and CSME.