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Microrobots for Active Object Manipulation

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Advanced Mechatronics and MEMS Devices II

Part of the book series: Microsystems and Nanosystems ((MICRONANO))

Abstract

Active manipulation of objects that are smaller than 1 mm in size finds its application in tasks such as assembly and pick-and-placement. Here, we present the design of a family of microrobots capable of object manipulation in a fluidic environment. The microrobots are fabricated from polymer (SU-8) with internal soft-magnetic posts (CoNi) that align to an external magnetic field and have a maximum dimension of \(50 \times 200 \times 600\,\upmu \mathrm{m}\). Actuation of the device can be enforced with either a rotating or stepping magnetic field and corresponds to the method of object manipulation. In particular, a rotating magnetic field enables a fluidic-based noncontact manipulation technique, while a stepping magnetic field enables a contact manipulation technique. The capabilities of these designs are analysed and demonstrated with respect to the generated motion and the manipulation of objects.

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  1. 1.

    http://www.magnebotix.com

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland

    Roel S. Pieters, Hsi-Wen Tung & Bradley J. Nelson

Authors
  1. Roel S. Pieters
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  2. Hsi-Wen Tung
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  3. Bradley J. Nelson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roel S. Pieters .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Dan Zhang

  2. University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

    Bin Wei

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Pieters, R.S., Tung, HW., Nelson, B.J. (2017). Microrobots for Active Object Manipulation. In: Zhang, D., Wei, B. (eds) Advanced Mechatronics and MEMS Devices II. Microsystems and Nanosystems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32180-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32180-6_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32178-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32180-6

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