#ALGORITHMS: "Gestures on Apple iPad Control Nano-Tweezers"

Using an iPad's touch screen allows intuitive gesture control of holographic optical tweezers so that even a novice can manipulate microscopic scientific samples like a trained technician. Look for touchscreen tablets--both Apple and Android--to become the remote controls for future scientific instruments. R. Colin Johnson @NextGenLog


Using the pinch gesture on the iPad, a microscopic sample can be moved up toward the viewer or down and away.

Here is what my Smarter Technology story says about gesture control of scientific instruments: The iPad is becoming a scientific remote control, allowing intuitive multitouch gestures to more easily control complex manipulations using holographic optical tweezers. Optical tweezers use laser beams to physically hold microscopic objects—from living cells to nanoparticles—allowing operators to rotate, zoom into and closely inspect microscopic objects using the same intuitive gestures used to manipulate the macroscopic world...
Full Text: http://bit.ly/NextGenLog-hkaj