Dry Surface Micromanipulation Using An Untethered And Magnetic Microrobot

Precise micromanipulation tasks are typically performed using micromanipulators that require an accessible workspace to reach components. However, many applications have inaccessible or require sealed workspaces. This paper presents a novel magnetically-guided, and untethered, actuation method for precise and accurate positioning of microcomponents on dry surface within a remote workspace using a magnetic microrobot. By use of an oscillatory and uniform magnetic field, the magnetic microrobot can traverse on a dry surface with fine step size and accurate open-loop vector following, 3% and 2% of its body-length, respectively (step size of 7 μm). While maintaining precise positioning capability, the microrobot can manipulate and carry other microcomponents on the dry surface using direct pushing or grasping using various attachments, respectively. We demonstrate and characterize the untethered micromanipulation capabilities of this method using a 3 mm cubic microrobot for us

Design, characterization and control of thermally-responsive and magnetically-actuated micro-grippers at the air-water interface

The design and control of untethered microrobotic agents has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. This technology truly possesses the potential to revolutionize the field of minimally invasive surgery and microassembly. However, miniaturization and reliable actuation of micro-fabricated grippers are still challenging at sub-millimeter scale. In this study, we design, manufacture, characterize, and control four similarly-structured semi-rigid thermoresponsive micro-grippers. Furthermore, we develop a closed loop-control algorithm to demonstrate and compare the performance of the said grippers when moving in hard-to-reach and unpredictable environments. Finally, we analyze the grasping characteristics of three of the presented designs. Overall, not only does the study demonstrate motion control in unstructured dynamic environments-at velocities up to 3.4, 2.9, 3.3, and 1 body-lengths/s with 980, 750, 250, and 100 μm-sized grippers, respectively-but it also aims to provide quantitative data and considerations to help a targeted design of magnetically-controlled thin micro-grippers

Magnetorheological elastomer‐based 4D printed electroactive composite actuators

Magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) composite actuators are extraordinary since they can be controlled remotely, move swiftly, adapt to rough surfaces, and engage with humans in a secure manner. Despite all these advantages, pure MREs are not stable enough because of their high degree of softness. Also, a magnetic field is always required to actuate and hold them in the required position accordingly. This paper offers a new conceptual design for bi-stable MRE-based electroactive composite actuators with high performance. The idea is a combination of MRE composites and 4D printing (4DP) of conductive shape memory polymers. The silicone resins are loaded with strontium ferrite magnetic particles and a thin conductive carbon black polylactic acid (CPLA) is 4D printed and embedded as a core inside the composite. A set of parametric studies is carried out to examine the material properties, 4DP characteristics, and magnetization conditions. As an outcome, a functional, lightweight, and bi-stable composite actuator with programmable magnetic patterns is developed. This actuator can be positioned in the actuated situation without any stimuli as long as required. The shape memory behaviour, bi-directionality, and remote controlling of the composite actuator are driven by Joule heating and magnetic fields. The actuator with a weight of 1.47 g can hold and lift weights up to 200 g. Finally, experiments are conducted to demonstrate the immense potential of the developed composite actuators as mechanical and biomedical devices. Due to the absence of similar concepts and results in the specialized literature, this paper is likely to advance the state-of-the-art smart composite actuators with remotely controlled shape-memory features

Dynamic modeling and characterization of magnetic hybrid films of polyvinyl butyral/iron oxide nanoparticles (PVB/Fe₂O₃) devoted to microactuators.

This thesis was accomplished in a dual-degree modality between the consolidated group of Synthesis and Characterization of Materials ꟷFacultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica (FIME), Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), México, and the research group of Methodologies for Automatic Control and for Design of Mechatronic Systems (MACS), department of Automatic Control and Micro-Mechatronic Systems ꟷ FEMTO-ST institute, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (UBFC), France

Proceedings of the 2018 Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) International Congress

Published proceedings of the 2018 Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) International Congress, hosted by York University, 27-30 May 2018