Cantilever-Based Hall Sensor Force Measurement

Abstract

In the field of Organ-on-Chip research, there is a strong demand for automated and scalable systems for muscle excitation and contraction measurement. This thesis presents an improved twenty-four-well system that utilizes Hall sensors to determine muscle contraction force. Building directly on an initial proof of concept, this work focuses on improving the cantilevers, the well design, and the printed circuit boards.

Furthermore, the amplifier was redesigned to accommodate the new system architecture, and a higher-resolution analog-to-digital converter was selected to improve measurement accuracy. The system can be controlled and monitored through a USB connection, enabling automated measurements, data visualization, and individual well selection.

Muscle excitation is provided through a square-wave stimulation signal with configurable amplitude, frequency, and duty cycle within commonly used stimulation ranges. As long-term biological testing is essential, the system was also designed to operate reliably within an incubator environment.