SmartTrap: automated precision experiments with optical tweezers
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2026
Optical tweezers are widely used in single-molecule biophysics, cell biomechanics and soft matter physics, but require a human operator, limiting throughput and repeatability. Here we present a smart optical tweezers platform, named SmartTrap, capable of performing complex experiments autonomously by integrating real-time three-dimensional particle tracking, custom electronics and a microfluidics system. Through a series of experiments, we demonstrate it can operate continuously, acquiring high-precision data over extended periods of time. By bridging the gap between manual experimentation and autonomous operation, SmartTrap establishes a robust and open-source framework for the next generation of optical tweezers research, capable of performing large-scale studies in single-molecule biophysics, cell mechanics and colloidal science with minimal experimental overhead and operator bias.
Författare
Martin Selin
Göteborgs universitet
Antonio Ciarlo
Göteborgs universitet
Giuseppe Pesce
Göteborgs universitet
Lars Bengtsson
Göteborgs universitet
Joan Camunas-Soler
Göteborgs universitet
Vinoth Edal Joseph Sundar Rajan
Molekylär biovetenskap
Fredrik Westerlund
Molekylär biovetenskap
Marcus Wilhelmsson
Chalmers, Kemi och kemiteknik, Kemi och biokemi
Isabel Pastor
Universitat de Barcelona
Felix Ritort
Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (RACAB)
Universitat de Barcelona
Carlos Bustamante
University of California
Giovanni Volpe
Göteborgs universitet
Nature Methods
1548-7091 (ISSN) 1548-7105 (eISSN)
Vol. In PressÄmneskategorier (SSIF 2025)
Atom- och molekylfysik och optik
Den kondenserade materiens fysik
Biofysik
DOI
10.1038/s41592-026-03129-3
PubMed
42315729