Surface micro-structuring of silica glass plates was performed by using laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) upon irradiation with a single-mode laser beam from a diode-pumped solidstate UV laser at 266 nm. We have succeeded in a well-defined micro-pattern formation without debris and microcrack formations around the etched area on the basis of galvanometer-based point scanning system wit...

This paper presents an experimental study of laser interferometry-based closed-loop motion tracking for flexure-based four-bar micro/nano manipulator. To enhance the accuracy of micro/nano manipulation, laser interferometry-based motion tracking control is established with experimental facility. The authors present and discuss open-loop control, model-based closed-loop control, and robust motio...

Future NASA missions require cooling of large structures in space. One class of thermal management solutions for providing controlled, distributed cooling would utilize actively controlled micro-scale valves that are integrated with heat exchangers and sensors in order to provide independent, local temperature control. The most attractive actuation method for these micro-valves is a multilayer ...

This paper presents design, fabrication, and characterization of easy-to-handle electroplated nickel microgrippers with SU-8 adaptors for heterogeneous micro/nano assembly applications. Two distinctive designs of microgrippers as end-effectors of micro/nano assembly applications have been developed in this work. The first design is 200 lm thick electroplated nickel microgripper with a plastic m...

This work explores the viability of using 3D printing as a rapid-prototyping technique for microrobotic appendages made from thin-film PZT/polymer materials. First, the possibility of integrating piezoelectric materials into millimeter-scale (meso-scale) polymer melt-printed structures was investigated. Next, one specific robot limb geometry was chosen as a basis to compare structural modeling ...

During a micromanipulation, it is important to have the same performances whatever the manipulated object is. We present in this paper the control of the force applied to flexible and rigid micro-objects by a piezoelectric cantilever. First, the voltage-force transfer function is modeled. The hysteresis and creep phenomena are taken into account. The reliance of the model on the characteristics...

This research aims to provide a unique perspective on energy harvesting from ear canal dynamic motion that can be used to power electronic in-ear devices. Two micro-power generators are presented: one of them has a miniature hydro-electromagnetic core and another one is composed of a micro piezo film sheet in shape of a ring. The experimental results will show that 1.2μW and 0.2μW could be succ...

Single-beam acoustic tweezers (SBAT), used in laboratory-on-a-chip (LOC) device has promising implications for an individual micro-particle contactless manipulation. In this study, a freestanding hydrothermal PZT thick film with excellent piezoelectric property (d33 = 270pC/N and kt = 0.51) was employed for SBAT applications and a press-focusing technology was introduced. The obtained SBAT, act...

A handheld Smart Micromanipulation Aided Robotic-surgery Tool (SMART) micro-forceps guided by a fiber-optic common-path optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) sensor is presented. A fiber-optic CP-OCT distance and motion sensor is integrated into the shaft of a micro-forceps. The tool tip position is manipulated longitudinally through a closed loop control using a piezoelectric motor. This novel...

In this paper, a worm-like micro robot designed for inpipe application with intelligent active force control (AFC) capability is modelled and simulated. The motion of the micro robot is based on an impact drive mechanism (IDM) that is actuated using piezoelectric device. The trajectory tracking performance of the modelled micro robot is initially experimented via a conventional proportionalinte...