This paper presents a topological-optimization method which applies the theory of ground structure parameterization to design and analyzes a microgripper device. The study defines the compliant design domain as 2000μm×2000μm with a 200μm thickness, and discusses the effect of different optimization parameters. The driver is an electro-thermal microactuator that can actuate approximately 6000μN ...

The strain, stress and strain energy density of a vanadium dioxide (VO2)-based microactuator were obtained from experimental curvature measurements as a function of temperature. The study revealed fully reversible strain and stress changes of up to −0.32% and −510 MPa, respectively, and a maximum strain energy density of approximately 8.1 × 105 J/m3 through a temperature window of only 15 ◦C. T...

The behavior of an idealized magnetic microactuator is modeled and analyzed. A two parameter mass-spring model is shown to exhibit a bifurcation from one to three steady states as the geometry of the device is altered. In addition we obtain solutions of the differential equation governing the motion of a forced elastic membrane and find similar phenomena. Stability analysis determines that in t...

This paper describes the ANSYS simulation of an electrostatically-actuated MEMS device, in which the drive voltages are computed using feedback control laws. The device consists of a movable electrode suspended on flexible, elastic structures, and one or more fixed drive electrodes. The feedback control laws are used to determine the level of a variable voltage supply in a drive circuit for eac...

An ionic polymer microactuator driven by an organic photoelectric proton pump transducer is described in this paper. The light responsive transducer is fabricated by using molecular self-assembly to immobilize oriented bacteriorhodopsin purple membrane (PM) patches on a bio-functionalized porous anodic alumina (PAA) substrate. When exposed to visible light, the PM proton pumps produce a unidire...