Microrobotics

From conception to realization, Microrobotics: Methods and Applications covers all aspects of miniaturized systems that physically interact and manipulate objects at the microscale. It provides a solid understanding of this multidisciplinary field, which combines areas of materials science, mechanical engineering, and applied physics. Requiring no

The first textbook on micron-scale mobile robotics, introducing the fundamentals of design, analysis, fabrication, and control, and drawing on case studies of existing approaches. Progress in micro- and nano-scale science and technology has created a demand for new microsystems for high-impact applications in healthcare, biotechnology, manufacturing, and mobile sensor networks. The new robotics field of microrobotics has emerged to extend our interactions and explorations to sub-millimeter scales. This is the first textbook on micron-scale mobile robotics, introducing the fundamentals of design, analysis, fabrication, and control, and drawing on case studies of existing approaches. The book covers the scaling laws that can be used to determine the dominant forces and effects at the micron scale; models forces acting on microrobots, including surface forces, friction, and viscous drag; and describes such possible microfabrication techniques as photo-lithography, bulk micromachining, and deep reactive ion etching. It presents on-board and remote sensing methods, noting that remote sensors are currently more feasible; studies possible on-board microactuators; discusses self-propulsion methods that use self-generated local gradients and fields or biological cells in liquid environments; and describes remote microrobot actuation methods for use in limited spaces such as inside the human body. It covers possible on-board powering methods, indispensable in future medical and other applications; locomotion methods for robots on surfaces, in liquids, in air, and on fluid-air interfaces; and the challenges of microrobot localization and control, in particular multi-robot control methods for magnetic microrobots. Finally, the book addresses current and future applications, including noninvasive medical diagnosis and treatment, environmental remediation, and scientific tools.

Microrobotics is an emerging and booming area with many and various applications, including in fields such as industrial/manufacturing robotics, medical robotics, and laboratory instrumentation. Microrobotics for Micromanipulation presents for the first time, in detail, a treatment of the field of robotics dedicated to handling objects of micrometer dimensions. At these dimensions, the behavior of objects is significantly different from the better known, larger scales, which leads to implementation techniques that can be radically different from the more commonly used solutions. This book details the behaviors of objects at the micrometer scale and provides robotics solutions that are suitable, in terms of actuators, grippers, manipulators, environmental perception, and microtechnology. Worked examples are included in the book - enabling engineers, students and researchers to familiarize themselves with this emerging area and to contribute to its development.

Microsystem technology (MST) integrates very small (up to a few nanometers) mechanical, electronic, optical, and other components on a substrate to construct functional devices. These devices are used as intelligent sensors, actuators, and controllers for medical, automotive, household and many other purposes. This book is a basic introduction to MST for students, engineers, and scientists. It is the first of its kind to cover MST in its entirety. It gives a comprehensive treatment of all important parts of MST such as microfabrication technologies, microactuators, microsensors, development and testing of microsystems, and information processing in microsystems. It surveys products built to date and experimental products and gives a comprehensive view of all developments leading to MST devices and robots.

This book provides an introduction to robot-based nanohandling. It presents work on the development of a versatile microrobot-based nanohandling robot station inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Those unfamiliar with the subject will find the text, which is complemented throughout by the extensive use of illustrations, clear and simple to understand. The author has published two books and numerous papers in the field, and holds more than 50 patents.

Mathematical Modelling of Swimming Soft Microrobots presents a theoretical framework for modelling of soft microrobotic systems based on resistive-force theory. Microorganisms are highly efficient at swimming regardless of the rheological and physical properties of the background fluids. This efficiency has inspired researchers and Engineers to develop microrobots that resemble the morphology and swimming strategies of microorganisms. The ultimate goal of this book is threefold: first, to relate resistive-force theory to externally and internally actuated microrobotic systems; second, to enable the readers to develop numerical models of a wide range of microrobotic systems; third, to enable the reader to optimize the design of the microrobot to enhance its swimming efficiency. Enable the readers to develop numerical models of a wide range of microrobotic systems Enable the reader to optimize the design of the microrobot to enhance its swimming efficiency The focus on the development of numerical models that enables Engineers to predict the behavior of the microrobots and optimize their designs to increase their swimming efficiency Provides videos to demonstrate experimental results and animations from the simulation results