Teaching of charged-particle microscopy robotic grippers via beamsplitting

A computer program product for facilitating teaching of charged-particle microscopy robotic grippers via beamsplitting, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable memory having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

• access a charged-particle microscope having a vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises a robotic gripper and a microscopy grid receptacle;
• cause a light source affixed to the robotic gripper to shine a light beam through a beamsplitter, wherein the beamsplitter is configured to direct a first portion of the light beam toward a camera, wherein the beamsplitter is configured to direct a second portion of the light beam toward a reflector that is positioned on or in a bore of the microscopy grid receptacle, wherein the reflector is configured to reflect the second portion of the light beam back toward the beamsplitter, and wherein the beamsplitter is configured to direct at least some of the second portion of the light beam toward the camera;
• access an image captured by the camera, wherein the image depicts a first illuminated spot caused by the first portion of the light beam, and wherein the image depicts a second illuminated spot caused by the at least some of the second portion of the light beam;
• identify, based on a distance separating respective centroids of the first illuminated spot and the second illuminated spot, one or more angular or translational movements of the robotic gripper that would cause a shaft-axis of the robotic gripper to become angularly or translationally aligned with the bore of the microscopy grid receptacle;
• and
• cause the robotic gripper to perform the one or more angular or translational movements.