In this thesis a new approach called ‘space-time-wavelength mapping’ has been developed for real-time electronic control of optical tweezers. The proposed technique enables precise control of optical signals in space, time, and frequency through time-domain dispersion and diffractive optics, which in turn enables generation of controlled radiation forces acting on small particles. In this study we show that 150 fs ultrafast optical pulses can be dispersed in time and space to achieve a ~20 μm × ~2 μm focused elliptical beam. The force field at the focal plane of the beam is dependent on local intensity gradients along the plane. The spatial intensity profile can be electronically controlled by assigning local power levels to each wavelength using time-domain RF modulation of dispersed pulses, and sending each wavelength, and hence the assigned power level, to a specific location in space through diffractive optics. We show that by choosing the appropriate RF waveform, one is able to create force fields for cell stretching and compression as well as multiple force hot-spots (of >200 pN force per pulse) for attractive and repulsive forces. A detailed theoretical model and simulation results from a proposed experimental setup are presented. This approach is significantly more advantageous in terms of flexibility and control, compared to conventional optical tweezers that require mechanical steering or holographic optical tweezers that produce undesired ‘ghost traps’. In addition, it is shown how the technique can also be extended to create tunable 2D force field distributions using a virtually-imaged phased-array (VIPA).