The Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory (AMNL), founded in 2004, is affiliated with Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Inst. of Biomedical Engineering, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Dept. of Computer Science. With a unifying theme centered upon the development and application of novel instruments and robotic systems and algorithms, AMNL’s research ranges from fundamental science to applied technologies and solutions to challenges in industries (e.g., healthcare and automotive).

Taking a multidisciplinary approach in research, our dynamic team consists of researchers from various backgrounds in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and biomedical engineering. We work with an exciting network of clinician scientists, biologists, nanomaterial scientists, and many industries inside and outside Canada.

Key Words:

  • micro-nano robotic manipulation; automation at micro-nanometer scales; optical and electron microscopy; nano manufacturing; precision instrumentation; micro and nano devices; MEMS; microfluidics
  • robotic cell surgery; medical robotics; in vitro fertilization (IVF); personalized medicine for cardiac diseases via robotic and microdevice-based drug screen; robotic cancer treatment for tumors having developed drug, radio, and immuno-resistance
  • cell mechanics; cellular mechanobiology; biophysics; nanomechanics

Recent Events

AMNL won the UofT Connaught Innovation Award. (01/2021)

X. Wang received the L.C. Tsui Fellowship from the Hopital for Sick Children. Z.Y. Gong received a J.H. Weber and E.C. Mariano Graduate Scholarship. (12/2020)

C.S. Dai's paper was accepted by Nature Reviews Urology. Y. Sun received the CSME Mechatronics Medal. (11/2020)

Led by Z.R. Zhang, AMNL was awarded first prize for technical achievement by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). (10/2020)

T. Cui and M. Zhu passed their Ph.D. defenses. X.J. Liu received a PDF Fellowship from the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. (09/2020)

H. Madhusudanan and L.H. Du passed M.A.Sc. defenses; X. Wang and C.S. Dai passed their Ph.D. defenses. (08/2020)

UofT labs reopened with measures taken to ensure safety. (07/2020)

M. Zhu received a prestigious Medicine by Design postdoctoral fellowship. (06/2020)

AMNL alumnus, Changhong Cao accepted an offer of assistant professor from McGill University. (05/2020)

Liming's paper was selected as an Editors' Choice by Science Translational Medicine. (04/2020)

UofT and AMNL are closed due to COVID-19. (03/2020)

M. Zhu's paper on stiffness mapping deep in tissue was published in PNAS. (02/2020)

T. Cui's paper on Fatigue of Graphene was published in Nature Materials. (01/2020)

AMNL won the UofT Connaught Innovation Award. (12/2019)

Y. Sun attended the new fellow induction ceremony of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). (11/2019)

Y. Sun was elected Fellow of AIMBE (American Institute of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering). (10/2019)

W.K. Dou again received a Ph.D. fellowship from the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research Education Fund. Congrats! (08/2019)

Y. Sun gave a plenary talk at MARSS'2019 (Int. Conf. on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales). MARSS'2020 will be held in Toronto. (07/2019)

AMNL won the Michael R. Freeman Innovation Award together with Toronto General Hospital. (06/2019)

AMNL presented three papers at IEEE ICRA'19 in Montreal. C.S. Dai's paper won the Best Paper Award in Automation. (05/2019)

Y. Sun gave a plenary talk at IEEE NEMS'2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. (04/2019)

X. Wang's Science Robotics paper and M. Zhu's Nature Communications paper were accepted for publication. (03/2019)

NSERC CREATE Heathcare Robotics (HeRo) was granted by NSERC. (02/2019)

Lab rennovation, funded by Canada foundation for innovation (CFI), was completed. (01/2019)

Y. Sun was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). (12/2018)

AMNL presented three papers at MicroTAS'2018 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (11/2018)

Y. Sun gave an invited seminar in the Schaefer School of Engineering & Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. (10/2018)

C.H. Cao headed to MIT for his postdoctoral research. AMNL team wishes him the best. (09/2018)

W.K. Dou received a pretigious Ph.D. fellowship from the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research Education Fund. (08/2018)

AMNL won the Best Application Paper Award at the International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS) in Nagoya, Japan. (07/2018)

Y. Sun accepted the role of Editor for the Elsevier journal, Sensors & Acutators A: Physical. (06/2018)

AMNL presented three papers at IEEE International Conf. Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Brisbane, Australia. (05/2018)

J.H. Law won the Ontario Trillium Scholarship; G.Q. Shan won the Connaught International Scholarship; Y. Sun gave an invited seminar at the Univerity of Pennsylvania. (04/2018)

AMNL won the IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering Best New Application Paper Award. (03/2018)

C. Cao won an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship. His paper in Science Advances was accepted for publication. (02/2018)

AMNL won the UofT Connaught Innovation Award; H.J. Liu won the UPenn postdoctoral fellowship. (01/2018)

Event archives [more...]