Immersive Micromanipulation Integrating Pipette and Injector Operations with McKibben-Based Haptic Sensations for Workload Reduction

2026-08-10

AI Summary

This study addresses the high cognitive load in conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures, which rely solely on visual feedback and require frequent switching between pipette and injector interfaces while lacking haptic cues. To overcome these limitations, this work proposes an immersive micromanipulation system that, for the first time, integrates McKibben pneumatic artificial muscles to deliver multidimensional haptic feedback. By unifying the human–machine interface and employing a tactile mapping algorithm, the system enables one-handed simultaneous control of aspiration and injection while providing real-time haptic perception of fluid uptake, ejection, and oocyte contact. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system significantly enhances operational efficiency, reduces cognitive workload, and improves overall usability.

Abstract

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) requires advanced micromanipulation techniques but relies solely on visual feedback and involves frequent interface switching between pipette movement and injector operations. Existing haptic feedback systems primarily focus on pipette puncture forces and do not provide feedback on injector states. We developed an immersive micromanipulation system that unifies operational interfaces and provides McKibben-based haptic sensations to represent aspiration, discharge, and contact between the oocyte and pipette. Users operated both the pipette and injector with a single hand while receiving haptic sensations. A human-participant experiment revealed that the immersive operation interface improved micromanipulation speed and reduced cognitive workload of the micromanipulation compared with conventional methods. Additionally, McKibben-based haptic sensations improved overall system usability. The immersive micromanipulation system with McKibben-based haptic sensations successfully unified operational interfaces and reduced operator workload.

Problem

• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
• micromanipulation
• haptic feedback
• cognitive workload
• interface switching

Innovation

• immersive micromanipulation
• McKibben actuator
• haptic feedback
• ICSI
• unified interface