A method for measuring a cellular traction force of one cell, comprising: - providing a device comprising a flat soft substrate with a Young's modulus of about 0.1 to 100 kPa, having disposed thereon an adhesive micropattern having a form suitable to reproducibly concentrate the cellular traction force on one single region or point, wherein - the size of said adhesive micropattern is such that one single cell can adhere; and - said adhesive micropattern includes an adhesive area comprising an adhesive spreading area and two sets of two adhesive spots, wherein a) the adhesive spots are on or close to the convex envelop of the adhesive micropattern; b) each set contains a spot on either side of an axis in the plane of the convex envelop; c) the two spots located on same side of the axis are separated by a non-adhesive region forming between 15 % and 35 % of the total length of the convex envelop; d) the first set of adhesive spots are essentially located close to or on the axis in order to form an adhesive region of no more than 10% of the total length of the convex envelop; and e) the adhesive spreading area is disposed on each side of the axis between the second set of adhesive spots to connect the two spots and toward the first set of adhesive spots between the two non-adhesive regions of c), - exposing the substrate to at least one cell for a period of time sufficient to allow one cell to bind to the adhesive micropattern; - measuring the position of said single region or point of said micropattern; and - calculating the displacement of said single region or point of said micropattern, thereby determining the cell traction force. - providing a device comprising a flat soft substrate with a Young's modulus of about 0.1 to 100 kPa, having disposed thereon an adhesive micropattern having a form suitable to reproducibly concentrate the cellular traction force on one single region or point, wherein - the size of said adhesive micropattern is such that one single cell can adhere; and - said adhesive micropattern includes an adhesive area comprising an adhesive spreading area and two sets of two adhesive spots, wherein a) the adhesive spots are on or close to the convex envelop of the adhesive micropattern; b) each set contains a spot on either side of an axis in the plane of the convex envelop; c) the two spots located on same side of the axis are separated by a non-adhesive region forming between 15 % and 35 % of the total length of the convex envelop; d) the first set of adhesive spots are essentially located close to or on the axis in order to form an adhesive region of no more than 10% of the total length of the convex envelop; and e) the adhesive spreading area is disposed on each side of the axis between the second set of adhesive spots to connect the two spots and toward the first set of adhesive spots between the two non-adhesive regions of c), - the size of said adhesive micropattern is such that one single cell can adhere; and - said adhesive micropattern includes an adhesive area comprising an adhesive spreading area and two sets of two adhesive spots, wherein a) the adhesive spots are on or close to the convex envelop of the adhesive micropattern; b) each set contains a spot on either side of an axis in the plane of the convex envelop; c) the two spots located on same side of the axis are separated by a non-adhesive region forming between 15 % and 35 % of the total length of the convex envelop; d) the first set of adhesive spots are essentially located close to or on the axis in order to form an adhesive region of no more than 10% of the total length of the convex envelop; and e) the adhesive spreading area is disposed on each side of the axis between the second set of adhesive spots to connect the two spots and toward the first set of adhesive spots between the two non-adhesive regions of c), a) the adhesive spots are on or close to the convex envelop of the adhesive micropattern; b) each set contains a spot on either side of an axis in the plane of the convex envelop; c) the two spots located on same side of the axis are separated by a non-adhesive region forming between 15 % and 35 % of the total length of the convex envelop; d) the first set of adhesive spots are essentially located close to or on the axis in order to form an adhesive region of no more than 10% of the total length of the convex envelop; and e) the adhesive spreading area is disposed on each side of the axis between the second set of adhesive spots to connect the two spots and toward the first set of adhesive spots between the two non-adhesive regions of c), - exposing the substrate to at least one cell for a period of time sufficient to allow one cell to bind to the adhesive micropattern; - measuring the position of said single region or point of said micropattern; and - calculating the displacement of said single region or point of said micropattern, thereby determining the cell traction force.