Georgiev Atanas author Columbia University. Computer Science Edstrom William author Columbia University. Biological Sciences Allen Peter K. author Columbia University. Computer Science Columbia University. Computer Science originator text Articles 2004 English We present a system for protein crystal micro-manipulation with focus on automated crystal mounting for the purposes of X-ray data collection. The system features a set of newly designed micropositioner end-effectors we call microshovels which address some limitations of the traditional cryogenic loops. We have used micro-electrical mechanical system (MEMS) techniques to design and manufacture various shapes and quantities of microshovels. Visual feedback from a camera mounted on the microscope is used to control the micropositioner as it lowers a microshovel into the liquid containing the crystals and approaches a selected crystal for pickup. We present experimental results that illustrate the applicability of our approach. Nanotechnology Piscataway, N.J. IEEE 2004 236 241 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/IROS.2004.1389358 http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:15184 NNC NNC 2012-11-05 10:42:03 -0500 2013-04-02 10:50:28 -0400 9186 eng