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SENSOCELL | Optical Tweezers for Mechanobiology

SENSOCELL | Optical Tweezers for Mechanobiology

Modality

Brightfield, DIC, widefield, confocal, TIRF, ...

Configuration

Complete system / Add-on

Force sensor method

Momentum forward-scattering

Number of traps

Up to 256

Steering technology

AOD

Steering frequency

100 kHz

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SENSOCELL Optical Tweezers for Mechanobiology by Impetux

SENSOCELL is a turnkey optical tweezers platform that traps, moves and probes microscopic samples while measuring the forces involved directly, with no calibration. Built by Impetux for mechanobiology, it brings simultaneous force measurement and active or passive microrheology inside living cells and 3D tissues to Nikon inverted microscopes.

Mechanobiology is reshaping research in cancer, morphogenesis, immunology and regenerative medicine. SENSOCELL lets researchers manipulate individual cells, nuclei, membranes and other native structures while tracking forces non-invasively. Impetux’s patented light momentum sensor measures forces in places conventional optical tweezers cannot, including on irregular objects and in complex media. Axiom Optics helps labs plan the configuration, from microscope compatibility to imaging modes and software routines.

Up to 256 traps

Acousto-optic steering at up to 25 kHz for trajectories, oscillations and pattern morphing.

Direct force, no calibration

Force resolution below 50 fN from a factory-calibrated light momentum sensor.

Built for living samples

A 1064 nm, 5 W single-frequency laser and compatibility with confocal, TIRF and more.

The SENSOCELL Platform

SENSOCELL is an add-on instrument for Nikon inverted microscopes. It can be installed on an existing microscope or delivered as an integrated platform with a new Nikon Ti2. The system has four parts:

  • Optical manipulation module that generates and steers multiple traps for trapping and moving microscopic samples.
  • Force sensor module for simultaneous, direct measurement of the optical trapping forces.
  • Rack mount case with all electronics and a single-frequency 1064 nm, 5 W laser source.
  • LightAce software for trap control, real-time force and position analysis, and automated routines.

Versatile Multi-Trap Optical Manipulation

The manipulation module is a compact, robust satellite instrument enclosed in an aluminum housing and mounted directly on the microscope body. Mounting it on the microscope rather than the optical table minimizes the effect of table instabilities, for maximum mechanical stability and the lowest drift. Acousto-optic deflection creates up to 256 simultaneous traps across a field of about 80 x 80 µm with a 60x objective, with individual trap placement at sub-nanometer precision. The ultra-stable, low-noise 1064 nm laser holds long-term power fluctuations below 0.3%.

Interactive

Multi-trap budget: up to 256 traps

Choose how many traps to run and see how power, stiffness and steering are shared across the array.

Number of traps

about 80 µm field (60x)
300 mWaverage power per trap
300 pN/µmestimated stiffness per trap
30.0 pNforce at 100 nm displacement
25.00 kHzrevisit rate per trap

A single trap gets the full beam: the stiffest, highest-force configuration.

75 mWaverage power per trap
75.0 pN/µmestimated stiffness per trap
7.50 pNforce at 100 nm displacement
6.25 kHzrevisit rate per trap

Splitting the beam 4 ways lowers stiffness per trap, yet a 100 nm displacement still produces 150 times the 50 fN force resolution.

18.75 mWaverage power per trap
18.8 pN/µmestimated stiffness per trap
1.88 pNforce at 100 nm displacement
1.56 kHzrevisit rate per trap

Splitting the beam 16 ways lowers stiffness per trap, yet a 100 nm displacement still produces 38 times the 50 fN force resolution.

4.69 mWaverage power per trap
4.7 pN/µmestimated stiffness per trap
0.47 pNforce at 100 nm displacement
391 Hzrevisit rate per trap

Splitting the beam 64 ways lowers stiffness per trap, yet a 100 nm displacement still produces 9 times the 50 fN force resolution.

1.17 mWaverage power per trap
1.2 pN/µmestimated stiffness per trap
0.12 pNforce at 100 nm displacement
98 Hzrevisit rate per trap

Splitting the beam 256 ways lowers stiffness per trap, yet a 100 nm displacement still produces 2 times the 50 fN force resolution.

Illustrative estimate using Impetux typical values: 300 mW maximum at the sample for force measurement, trap stiffness of about 1 pN/(mW·µm), and 25 kHz acousto-optic steering shared equally across traps. Real stiffness depends on bead size, refractive index and objective. Because SENSOCELL measures force directly from light momentum, force readings do not depend on these stiffness estimates.

Direct Force Measurement From Light Momentum

Conventional optical tweezers infer force from probe position and a stiffness calibration that must be repeated for every probe and medium. SENSOCELL instead measures the change in momentum of the trapping light, which is proportional to the force on the sample. The conversion constant is set once at the factory, so forces are absolute and calibration-free, even on non-spherical objects, inside cells and beyond the linear region of the trap.

Compare

Calibration-free force measurement

Toggle between a conventional workflow and SENSOCELL’s direct force measurement.

Conventional optical tweezers

  1. Calibrate trap stiffness for each probe, medium and power setting.
  2. Track the probe position with back-focal-plane interferometry or video.
  3. Assume a spherical probe of known size in a known medium.
  4. Convert position to force with F = k·x, valid only in the linear region.
  5. Repeat calibration when the sample, cell or depth changes.

SENSOCELL direct force

  1. Factory-calibrated conversion constant, unique and permanent for each sensor.
  2. Force read from the change in light momentum, with no position tracking needed.
  3. Works on irregular and non-spherical objects, organelles and membranes.
  4. Measures beyond the linear region of the trap, so higher forces at a given power.
  5. Same calibration inside living cells, viscoelastic media and 3D tissues.

See the physics in action in our interactive guide, Optical Tweezers for Mechanobiology: Direct Force Measurement with SENSOCELL.

Mechanobiology Applications

With force resolution below 50 fN and integrated noise below 0.1 pN, SENSOCELL covers the force range of molecular motors, membranes, organelles and whole cells.

Explore

Mechanobiology applications on a force scale

Select an application to place its typical forces against SENSOCELL’s sensitivity.

10 fN100 fN1 pN10 pN100 pN1 nNMembrane tether pullingMotor protein kineticsCell nucleus indentationIntracellular rheologyCell-cell interaction forcesresolution <50 fNintegrated noise <0.1 pN

Membrane tether pulling

Pull a membrane tether from a trapped bead and read the force live as it extends. Force clamp mode holds a set force while LightAce records tether length and dynamics.

Typical force scale: about 10 to 100 pN. LightAce modes: Force clamp, trajectories.

Motor protein kinetics

Follow in vitro stepping and stall of motor proteins such as kinesin, which stalls near 6 pN, with 1 nm position resolution and sub-pN force sensitivity.

Typical force scale: about 1 to 10 pN. LightAce modes: Static traps, force clamp.

Cell nucleus indentation

Push on the nucleus or other organelles inside a living cell and measure the resistance directly, without calibrating against the cytoplasm.

Typical force scale: about 10 to 300 pN. LightAce modes: Trajectories, click and drag.

Intracellular rheology

Oscillate a probe inside the cytoplasm for active microrheology, or record passive fluctuations, to map viscoelastic properties in cells and 3D tissues.

Typical force scale: about 0.1 to 10 pN. LightAce modes: Custom oscillations.

Cell-cell interaction forces

Bring cells into contact with multiple traps and measure adhesion and interaction forces as they form and rupture.

Typical force scale: about 10 to 200 pN. LightAce modes: Multiple traps, pattern morphing.

Application force ranges are indicative orders of magnitude from the optical tweezers literature, not SENSOCELL specifications. Resolution and noise are Impetux typical values. Log scale.

LightAce Control Software

  • Multi-trap control: click and drag, custom oscillations, trajectories, static patterns and pattern morphing.
  • Real-time analysis: force and position data for multiple traps, with force clamp mode to control pulling and pushing rates.
  • Synchronized recording: video captured in step with force and position data.
  • Automation: predefined and customizable routines for cell mechanobiology, a simple macro language for your own routines, and the LightAce SDK.
  • Open foundations: built on LabVIEW, ImageJ and µManager.

Microscope Integration and Imaging

SENSOCELL mounts through the epi-fluorescence port of a Nikon Ti2 inverted microscope and works alongside brightfield, DIC, epi-fluorescence, TIRF and confocal imaging, including spinning disk confocal.

Selector

Which SENSOCELL configuration fits your lab?

Your starting point

Add-on installation

SENSOCELL mounts on your existing Nikon Ti2 inverted microscope through the epi-fluorescence port, after a compatibility check by Impetux and Axiom Optics. Your current imaging modes stay in place.

Integrated platform

Choose SENSOCELL as a complete platform built on a new Nikon Ti2 inverted microscope, configured with a Hamamatsu ORCA camera and Ti2-LAPP modules for epi-fluorescence or TIRF.

Talk to Axiom Optics

SENSOCELL is designed as an add-on for Nikon inverted microscopes. Contact Axiom Optics to discuss your setup and the most practical route to integrated force measurement.

Choose your starting point.

SENSOCELL Key Specifications

Traps
Up to 256, acousto-optic deflection
Trap steering
Up to 25 kHz, 2D
Field of view
About 80 x 80 µm with 60x objective
Trap stiffness
About 1 pN/(mW·µm), typical
Laser
1064 nm, 5 W, single frequency, <0.3% long-term fluctuation
Force resolution
<50 fN
Force accuracy
Typically <5-10%
Integrated sensor noise
Typically <0.1 pN, full bandwidth
Position resolution
1 nm, typical
Detector
Temperature-compensated dual-lateral PSD, up to 100 kHz
ADC
18-bit, up to 100 kHz
Sensor optics
NA 1.4 immersion objective, optimized for 1064 nm
Max power at sample (force sensor)
300 mW, other ranges available
Microscope
Nikon Ti2 inverted, via epi-FL port
Imaging
Brightfield, DIC, epi-FL, TIRF, confocal
Software
LightAce with SDK

Values from Impetux; typical values where noted.

SENSOCELL FAQ

What is SENSOCELL?

SENSOCELL is a turnkey optical tweezers platform from Impetux for mechanobiology. It adds multi-trap optical manipulation and direct force measurement to Nikon inverted microscopes, so researchers can trap, move and probe cells, organelles and beads while measuring the forces involved in real time.

How does SENSOCELL measure force without calibration?

SENSOCELL measures the change in momentum of the trapping light as it is deflected by the sample. That change is proportional to the optical force, and the conversion constant depends only on the sensor’s optics and electronics, so Impetux calibrates it once at the factory. No trap stiffness calibration or probe position tracking is needed.

How many optical traps can SENSOCELL create?

Up to 256 simultaneous traps, generated with acousto-optic deflection and steered at up to 25 kHz. Traps can follow trajectories, oscillate, form static patterns or morph between patterns, and forces can be measured on multiple traps at once.

What force resolution does SENSOCELL offer?

Impetux specifies force resolution below 50 fN, typical force accuracy below 5-10%, integrated sensor noise below 0.1 pN over the full bandwidth, and 1 nm typical position resolution, with detector sampling up to 100 kHz.

Can SENSOCELL measure forces inside living cells and tissues?

Yes. Because the direct force method does not depend on the probe’s shape, size or the surrounding medium, SENSOCELL measures forces on irregular and non-spherical objects, inside living cells, in viscoelastic media and in 3D tissues.

Which microscopes is SENSOCELL compatible with?

SENSOCELL is an add-on for Nikon Ti2 inverted microscopes, mounted through the epi-fluorescence port. It can be installed on an existing Ti2 after a compatibility check or supplied as an integrated platform with a new Ti2. It works alongside brightfield, DIC, epi-fluorescence, TIRF and confocal imaging.

What laser does SENSOCELL use?

SENSOCELL includes an ultra-stable single-frequency 1064 nm infrared laser with 5 W output and long-term power fluctuations below 0.3%. Near-infrared light at 1064 nm is chosen for compatibility with biological samples.

What does the LightAce software do?

LightAce controls multiple traps, analyzes force and position data in real time, applies force clamping, and records video synchronized with force data. It includes predefined routines for mechanobiology, a macro language for custom routines and an SDK, built on LabVIEW, ImageJ and µManager.

Bring force measurement to your microscope

Tell Axiom Optics about your microscope, samples and target forces. We will confirm compatibility and configure SENSOCELL for your experiments.

Request a quote(617) 221-6636

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