Knowledge of the molecular forces that drive receptor-ligand interactions is a key to gain a detailed understanding of cell adhesion events and to develop novel applications in biomaterials science. Until recently, there was no tool available for analyzing and mapping these forces on complex biosurfaces like cell surfaces. During the past decade, however, single-molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) has opened exciting new opportunities for detecting and localizing molecular recognition forces on artificial biosurfaces and on living cells. In this review, we describe the general principles of the AFM technique, present procedures commonly used to prepare samples and tips, and discuss a number of applications that are relevant to the field of biomaterials.