In this paper, we describe how motile microorganisms can be integrated with engineered microstructures to develop a micro-bio-robotic system. SU-8 microstructures blotted with swarmer cells of Serratia Marcescens in a monolayer are propelled by the bacteria in the absence of any environmental stimulus. We call such microstructures with bacteria MicroBioRobots (MBRs) and the uncontrolled motion ...

A control actuation system has been used extensively in automotive, aerospace, and defense applications. The major challenges in modeling control actuation system are rise time, maximum peak to peak overshoot, and response to nonlinear system with percentage error. This paper addresses the challenges in modeling and real time implementation of control actuation system for missiles glider applic...

Dip pen nanolithography (DPN) is a method of creating nanoscale chemical patterns on surfaces using an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe. Until now, efforts to increase the process throughput have focused on passive multi-probe arrays and active arrays based on thermal bimetallic actuation. This paper describes the first use of electrostatic actuation to create an active DPN probe array. Elec...

pH-responsive hydrogels are capable of converting chemical energy to mechanical work. To optimize their use as actuators, their response when operating against an external load must be fully characterized. Here, the actuation strain of a model pH-sensitive hydrogel as a function of different constant loads is studied. The experimental actuation strain, produced by switching the pH from 2 to 12,...

In this paper, we describe how motile microorganisms can be integrated with engineered microstructures to develop a micro-bio-robotic system. SU-8 microstructures blotted with swarmer cells of Serratia Marcescens in a monolayer are propelled by the bacteria in the absence of any environmental stimulus. We call such microstructures with bacteria MicroBioRobots (MBRs) and the uncontrolled motion ...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) hinders drug delivery to the brain. Despite various efforts to develop preprogramed actuation schemes for magnetic drug delivery, the unmodeled aggregation phenomenon limits drug delivery performance. This paper proposes a novel scheme with an aggregation model for a feed-forward magnetic actuation design. A simulation platform for aggregated particle delivery is d...

Human exoskeletons add the strength and endurance of robotics to a human’s innate intellect and adaptability to help people transport heavy loads over rough, unpredictable terrain. The Berkeley lower extremity exoskeleton (BLEEX) is the first human exoskeleton that was successfully demonstrated to walk energetically autonomous while supporting its own weight plus an external payload. This paper...

Abstract Compact material constructs possessing some degree of built-in intelligence via the exhibition complex functionalities in response to easily deliverable stimuli are highly desirable for material-powered robots. We report here a visible light-driven, dual-responsive cobalt-doped manganese dioxide (Co-MnO 2 ), which exhibits high actuation performance terms speed and power requirement de...

 Using the SEM analysis technique, we present the first direct evidences of the non-uniform distribution of charges trapped in the dielectric layer during the actuation of electrostatic MEM devices. We highlight the importance of the contact quality to control the charge injection in the dielectric. We further incorporate the non-uniform charge distribution in a 2D model of the actuation of de...

Using a novel light-intensity method, we quantify for the first time the magnitude and spatial variance in acoustic energy density along a microchannel during acoustophoretic focusing of particles with frequency-modulated ultrasound. We compare the distribution in energy density between single-frequency (SF) and frequency-modulation (FM) actuation along the microchannel. In addition, we analyze...