A new type of microrobot is described. Its simple and compact design is believed to be of promise in the microrobotics field. Stepping motion allows speeds up to 4mm/s. Resolution smaller than 10 nm is achievable. Experiments in an open- loop motion demonstrated a repeatability better than 50 mu m on a 10 mm displacement at an average speed of 0.25 mm/s. A position feedback based on a microvision system will be developed in order to achieve a submicron absolute position accuracy.
Luc Thévenaz, Zhisheng Yang, Li Zhang
Jijun He, Xiaowei Zhang, Jian Wu, Ye Tian