---
title: "Plant Acupuncture: Open-source low-cost indentation device for local mechanical stimulation"
id: "biorxiv-15-plant-acupuncture-a-low-cost-and-open-source-device-for-local-mechanical"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-15-plant-acupuncture-a-low-cost-and-open-source-device-for-local-mechanical"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-09-13T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Plant Acupuncture: Open-source low-cost indentation device for local mechanical stimulation
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-15-plant-acupuncture-a-low-cost-and-open-source-device-for-local-mechanical
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-13T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Mechanical signals are central regulators of plant cellular responses, guiding development and triggering defense and repair processes; however, plant mechanoperception mechanisms remain poorly understood. - A major technical limitation is the lack of methods that apply local, precise, non-damaging mechanical forces compatible with high-resolution microscopy. - The authors designed an **open-source**, modular, and affordable indentation device built from **3D printed** parts, three commercial **piezo motors**, and interchangeable indentation needles. - The modular design allows easy adaptation to experimental needs and to fit on different microscopes using bespoke adaptors. - The setup can probe both rapid and slower touch responses; the authors demonstrated visualization of **calcium waves** and actin patch formation induced by touch. - The device is compatible with multiple plant species and tissues and can be combined with high-resolution functional imaging for live samples. - Any laboratory with a 3D printer can construct the system with minimal time investment, increasing accessibility of plant mechanobiology experiments. - Design files and related resources are available from the authors’ repository (link reported in the source).
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation Anna Daamen , View ORCID Profile Annalisa Bellandi , View ORCID Profile Maarten Besten , View ORCID Profile Jasper Lamers , View ORCID Profile Sjoerd Woudenberg , View ORCID Profile Clint Heijstek , View ORCID Profile Jan Willem Borst , View ORCID Profile Cecilia Borassi , View ORCID Profile Joris Sprakel doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389 Anna Daamen Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Annalisa Bellandi Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Annalisa Bellandi Maarten Besten Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Maarten Besten Jasper Lamers Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Jasper Lamers Sjoerd Woudenberg Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Sjoerd Woudenberg Clint Heijstek Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Clint Heijstek Jan Willem Borst Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Jan Willem Borst Cecilia Borassi Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Cecilia Borassi Joris Sprakel Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University & Research Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Joris Sprakel For correspondence: joris.sprakel{at}wur.nl Abstract Info/History Metrics Supplementary material Data/Code Preview PDF Abstract Background: Mechanical signals are important regulators of cellular responses in plants. They guide plant development and can activate defense and repair mechanisms. Yet, the molecular mechanisms by which plants perceive, transduce, and interpret mechanical signals are still poorly understood. This is in part due to the lack of methods to apply local, precise and non-damaging mechanical forces to plant cells. Micro-indentation is highly suitable for this purpose, yet available instrumentation is often expensive and difficult to combine with high-resolution microscopy. Results: We designed an open-source and affordable modular indentation device, consisting of 3D printed elements, 3 commercially available piezo motors, and a variety of indentation needles. Due to its modularity, the setup can be readily adapted to meet experimental requirements and works on all microscopes with bespoke adaptors. We show that the setup can be used to explore both rapid and slower touch responses, exemplified by visualizing calcium waves and actin patches induced by touch. We also show that the setup is compatible with various plant species and tissues and can be combined with high-resolution functional imaging. Conclusions: The simple and flexible design of the indentation device presented in this paper ensures that any lab with a 3D printer can build their own setup at low cost and with minimal time investment. The system has a wide range of applications for live plant tissue, making indentation experiments and thereby plant mechanobiology studies, more accessible. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes https://git.wur.nl/bic/2026_plant_acupuncture_annadaamen Funder Information Declared Dutch Research Council, https://ror.org/04jsz6e67 , 024.006.001 European Research Council, https://ror.org/0472cxd90 , 101000981 Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted September 13, 2026. Download PDF Supplementary Material Data/Code Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation Anna Daamen , Annalisa Bellandi , Maarten Besten , Jasper Lamers , Sjoerd Woudenberg , Clint Heijstek , Jan Willem Borst , Cecilia Borassi , Joris Sprakel bioRxiv 2026.09.10.750389; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Plant Acupuncture: a low-cost and open-source device for local mechanical stimulation Anna Daamen , Annalisa Bellandi , Maarten Besten , Jasper Lamers , Sjoerd Woudenberg , Clint Heijstek , Jan Willem Borst , Cecilia Borassi , Joris Sprakel bioRxiv 2026.09.10.750389; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.750389 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (7983) Biochemistry (18684) Bioengineering (14804) Bioinformatics (44278) Biophysics (22531) Cancer Biology (19650) Cell Biology (26810) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13915) Ecology (20940) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25400) Genetics (16132) Genomics (23443) Immunology (18640) Microbiology (42360) Molecular Biology (17992) Neuroscience (93155) Paleontology (695) Pathology (2974) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5075) Physiology (8087) Plant Biology (15944) Scientific Communication and Education (2094) Synthetic Biology (4546) Systems Biology (10202) Zoology (2381)
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