Direction of movement
Cantilever
Tip
F = 0
Nanomanipulator
Cell
Aluminum substrate
(a) Approach
Tip
Cantilever
Cell
F
Aluminum substrate
Nanomanipulator
(b) Contact
φ
δ
I
Tip
Cantilever
Cell
Aluminum substrate
Nanomanipulator
F
(c) Indentation
169
Nanorobotic Manipulation for a Single Biological Cell
9.3 Principles of Stiffness Measurements for a Single Cell
9.3.1 Stiffness Measurement of a Single Cell Based
on Nanoindentation Technique
A schematic of a nanoindentation process for a single cell is shown in
Figure  9.3. An atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever with a standard or modified tip is mounted on the nanomanipulator stage. The
FIGURE 9.3
Schematic of nanoindentation process.