The aureka micromanipulator from aura optik is a technical aid with which tools can be moved and positioned with micrometer precision under a stereomicroscope Tools can be motorized tweezers or microcapillaries, for example. The human-machine interface is a 3D joystick of a Space-Pilot from 3Dconnexion equipped with customized electronics. The electronics come from the company Contronix GmbH in Dresden.

In my master’s thesis and beyond, I dealt with the firmware of this interface, which includes the following modules:

• CAN driver and own CAN stack
• Display output with graphical user interface and menu navigation
• Readout of joystick and button inputs
• Translating the joystick data into 3-axis movements of the micromanipulator
• Coordination of 3-axis motor control in a distributed system via CAN
• Coordinated tandem movements of several axes
• Saving and moving to working positions
• Control of the Zeiss CAN bus via CAN bridge module for controlling microscope and accessory functions
• Joystick filter for e.g. step-by-step movement or more sensitivity in the lower speed range