Giovanni Volpe
Date: 25 August 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM PDT
Place: Conv. Ctr. Room 5B
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming optical tweezers from manually tuned instruments into adaptive, self-optimizing experimental platforms. By integrating real-time image analysis, physics-informed inference, and feedback control, AI can dynamically estimate particle states, environmental fluctuations, and trap properties, enabling continuous optimization of trapping conditions. This approach enhances stability, precision, and robustness in complex or nonstationary environments while reducing operator intervention. As a representative application, we present SmartTrap, an AI-driven control framework that autonomously adjusts trap parameters in real time to improve manipulation performance. AI-enabled optical tweezers open new opportunities for adaptive force spectroscopy, intelligent probing of active systems, and the development of autonomous experimental workflows in soft matter physics and biophysics.