Independent Technical Study

Past

Cost Effective Optical Tweezer

As the Engineering Lead for this project, I spearheaded the adaptation of the open-source OpenFlexure 3D-printed inverted microscope to enable laser-based optical trapping. Our goal was to design a low-cost, scalable optical tweezer system that allows students in under-resourced schools to explore advanced biophysics, quantum science, and nanotechnology tools.

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Focus areas

  • Led a 6-member engineering team to adapt an open-source, 3D-printed OpenFlexure microscope into a low-cost, scalable optical trapping system for particle manipulation.
  • Designed custom optical housing and structural modifications in Fusion 360 to integrate a high-intensity laser path into the inverted microscope chassis.
  • Configured system electronics and controls, programming an Arduino-driven stepper motor stage and utilizing a Raspberry Pi for automated imaging and data capture.
  • Selected to present research findings as a speaker at the 2025 American Physical Society (APS) Global Physics Summit in Anaheim, CA.

Tools and design

  • Fusion 360 for design concepts
  • Optics and experimental system analysis
  • Technical communication and presentation work

Project Gallery

Wide view of the optical tweezer setup on the lab bench
Full Lab Setup
Close-up of the assembled optical tweezer microscope
Close-up of the Microscope Assembly
Another wide view of the optical tweezer prototype and optics table
Optics Table Layout
Laser path diagram for the optical tweezer system
Laser Path Diagram
Microsphere trapping image captured during optical tweezer testing
Microsphere Trapping View
APS Global Physics Summit venue exterior
APS Global Physics Summit
Jaral presenting the optical tweezer work at APS
APS Presentation
Group photo from the APS Future of Physics Days event
APS Recognition Photo
Experimental microscope image from the optical tweezer project
Experimental Microscope View

APS Conference Presentation Deck

Optical Tweezer Demo Video