  We present a simple method for accessing the elastic properties of
microscopic deformable particles. This method is based on measuring the
pressure-induced deformation of soft particles as they are forced through a
tapered glass microcapillary. It allows us to determine both the compressive
and the shear modulus of a deformable object in one single experiment.
Measurements on a model system of poly-acrylamide microgel particles exhibit
excellent agreement with measurements on bulk gels of identical composition.
Our approach is applicable over a wide range of mechanical properties and
should thus be a valuable tool for the characterization of a variety of soft
and biological materials.
