Nanomanipulation with 3D visual and force feedback using atomic force microscopes

Atomic force microscopes (AFM) have been widely used for nanomanipulation throughout the last decade. Due to the design of AFMs, forces exerted on the AFM-tip cannot be resolved in 3D and no visual feedback can be obtained during manipulation. In this paper, we present an augmented reality approach for nanomanipulation interfaces, in which nano-scale 3D topography and force information sensed by the AFM-probe are blended with real time simulations. The sample surface is modeled with a spline-based geometry model, upon which a collision detection algorithm determines, whether and how the spherical AFM-tip penetrates the surface. Based on these results, surface deformations can be simulated in real-time and - up to now impossible - decoupled 3D force sensing can be achieved.