Simultaneous Localization and Mapping-Based in Vivo Navigation Control of Microparticles

In vivo manipulation of microparticles, such as biological cells and drugs, has attracted considerable attention in recent years. This paper presents the development of robot-aided manipulation technology that can control targeted microparticles to move a relatively long distance in an in vivo environment. The field of view can be updated online, such that the controlled microparticle can be tracked automatically in transportation. Simultaneous localization and mapping for in vivo applications are first investigated. Based on the in vivo map, an artificial potential field-based controller with disturbance compensation is developed to navigate microparticles in vivo. Experiments on navigating single cells in living zebrafish embryos by using optical tweezers manipulator are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach in a dynamic in vivo environment.