Vision-based haptic feedback for remote micromanipulation in-SEM environment.

International audienceThis paper presents an intuitive environment for remote micromanipulation composed of both haptic feedback and virtual reconstruction of the scene. To enable non expert users to perform complex teleoperated micromanipulation tasks it is of utmost importance to provide them with information about the 3D relative positions of the objects and the tools. Haptic feedback is an intuitive way to transmit such information. Since position sensors are not available at this scale, visual feedback is used to derive information about the scene. In this work, three different techniques are implemented, evaluated and compared to derive the object positions from scanning electron microscope images. The modified correlation matching with generated template algorithm is accurate and provides reliable detection of objects. To track the tool, a marker based approach is chosen since fast detection is required for stable haptic feedback. Information derived from these algorithms is used to propose an intuitive remote manipulation system, that enables users situated in geographically distant sites to benefit from specific equipments such as SEMs. Stability of the haptic feedback is ensured by the minimization of the delays, the computational efficiency of vision algorithms and the proper tuning of the haptic coupling. Virtual guides are proposed to avoid any involuntary collisions between the tool and the objects. This approach is validated by a teleoperation involving melamine microspheres with a diameter of less than 2 m between Paris, France and Oldenburg, Germany

International Workshop on MicroFactories (IWMF 2012): 17th-20th June 2012 Tampere Hall Tampere, Finland

This Workshop provides a forum for researchers and practitioners in industry working on the diverse issues of micro and desktop factories, as well as technologies and processes applicable for micro and desktop factories. Micro and desktop factories decrease the need of factory floor space, and reduce energy consumption and improve material and resource utilization thus strongly supporting the new sustainable manufacturing paradigm. They can be seen also as a proper solution to point-of-need manufacturing of customized and personalized products near the point of need

Never Too Old To Learn: On-line Evolution of Controllers in Swarm- and Modular Robotics

Eiben, A.E. [Promotor

Manipulation of nanoparticles by pushing operations using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

This thesis presents new paradigms for a particular class of non-prehensile manipulators of nanoscale objects that are limited to modelling accurately the relative motion of objects using continuous mechanics where the contact area is not presented. This restrictions results in models which have low accuracy and a lack of understanding about the real motion of the nanoscale object. The newly developed paradigms are focused on three topics: characterisation and analysis of forces present during motion at nanoscale in two dimensional space; characterisation and analysis of the quasi-static motion of nanoscale objects using the the instantaneous centre of rotation iCOR; and characterisation and analysis of the quasi-static,impulsive and dynamic motion of nanoscale objects using motion constraints and the iCOR. For characterisation and analysis of forces present on objects being manipulated at nanoscale, new models to characterise rolling and sliding motion are introduced. For the sliding case a relation between friction load (force and torque) and slip motion (displacement and rotation) for rigid nano-object sliding on a flat and a rough surface, where the distribution of the normal contact forces is assumed to be known a priori and the friction is assumed to be independent of slip rate is introduced. Every point of frictional contact is assumed to obey Coulomb’s friction law. A developed set of equations are solved, performing high accuracy integration techniques such as the Bulirsch-Stoer Method implemented on a computing programming language such as FORTRAN. The full relation between the frictional load and the slip motion for a nano-object can thus be described by its iCOR. A new methodology to model the quasi-static motion of nanoscale objects is presented from which are derived equations that can be used to approximate the trii bological parameters of the nano-objects being manipulated for known and unknown contact pressure distributions. The characterisation of the tribological parameters, such as the coefficient of friction μ, is obtained from generated maps using the applied force or the observed iCOR location of the nano-object being manipulated. The approach has several advantages, including simplicity, robustness, and an ability to simulate classes of systems that are difficult to simulate using spatial mechanics. The final part of this thesis introduces a novel constraint-based method in combination with a minimum force principle to locate the iCOR position for nano-objects at quasi-static motion. Furthermore, the iCOR location for impulsive and dynamic motion cases are introduced. The results generated by modelling these cases can describe the full motion of the manipulated nano-object and generate knowledge of their tribological parameters