Researchers make micromanipulation more accessible
Researchers at Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering have developed FilMBot, a soft robotic micromanipulator that combines high speed and micrometer level precision at a fraction of the usual cost. Micromanipulators are robotic systems designed to position and handle tiny objects with high precision.
Built from simple materials and released as open source, FilMBot is designed to make precision manipulation work more accessible to teaching labs, small research groups and independent makers.
’Precision manipulation at small scales has long been locked behind expensive equipment and specialized training,’ says Professor Quan Zhou, who leads the project. ’At around €100 in off-the-shelf parts, with open source designs and instructions, a motivated student could build FilMBot at home. It could do for micromanipulation what 3D printing did for fabrication.’
High performance at low cost
FilMBot is a soft manipulator with three degrees of freedom. It moves at about 1.5 to 2 meters per second while maintaining micrometer level precision. In path-following tasks, its positioning error remains at the micrometer scale, or roughly 0.05 % of its workspace. In the researchers’ comparison, that is up to 48 times faster than comparable soft robotic micromanipulators and about four times better in relative precision.
Commercial 3axis micromanipulators typically cost several thousand euros. FilMBot, by contrast, is built from parts costing around €100. Because it is a soft robot, its compliant design is more forgiving in delicate work and close interaction with sensitive samples.
FilMBot could support tasks such as assembling micro optical and microelectronic components, handle biological cells and microspheres, and automating delicate laboratory procedures common in biomedical research, precision manufacturing and scientific instrumentation. Its low cost also makes it attractive for university teaching labs, small prototyping workshops and resource limited settings.
’FilMBot’s goal isn’t to replace high-end commercial systems,’ Zhou adds. ’It is to bring capable micromanipulation to contexts where such systems have never been a realistic option.’
Built from everyday parts
FilMBot’s core structure is cut from ordinary polypropylene film, the same kind of plastic used in office folders. The pattern can be printed on a standard office printer and cut with scissors or a craft knife. The robot uses hand wound copper coils around steel rods from a hardware store, small off-the-shelf neodymium magnets, and 3D printed structural parts. An Arduino Mega microcontroller running at 12V handles control. The manipulator's body itself costs about €10, and the full bill of materials is roughly €100.
All hardware designs, 3D models, firmware, and build instructions are available on GitHub so others can replicate and adapt the system. The underlying research was published in IEEE Transactions on Robotics in January 2026.
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