The working principle of a rotating micro-actuator based on a piezoelectric stack was theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified. The actuator is compact in structure, and the key component is the shearing piezoelectric stack. The piezoelectr...
Through remote forces, levitating micro-actuators completely eliminate mechanical attachment between the stationary and moving parts of a micro-actuator, thus providing a fundamental solution to overcoming the domination of friction over inertial for...
This work presents the results of the experimental and theoretical study of the static pull-in of tilting actuation executed by a hybrid levitation micro-actuator (HLMA) based on the combination of inductive levitation and electrostatic actuation. A...
The locomotion mechanisms and structural characteristics of insects in nature offer new perspectives and solutions for designing miniature actuators. Inspired by the underwater movement of aquatic beetles, this paper presents a bidirectional self-pro...
A control circuit for inductive levitation micro-actuators was developed in this research, the circuit’s performance and its electrical parameters are discussed. The developed control circuit was fabricated on a four-layer printed circuit board (PCB)...
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) based on the femtosecond laser (fs laser) direct writing technique in the realization of high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) shapes is spotlighted as a unique and promising processing technique. It is also interesti...
An ionic polymer microactuator driven by an organic photoelectric proton pump transducer is described in this paper. The light responsive transducer is fabricated by using molecular self-assembly to immobilize oriented bacteriorhodopsin purple membra...
Typical pneumatic soft micro actuators can be manufactured without using heavy driving components such as pumps and power supplies by adopting an independent battery-powered mechanism. In this study, a thermopneumatically operated soft micro bellows...
Aiming at the efficiency and precision in micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is affected because the interpole voltage is unstable in conventional micro-EDM. This paper describes a five-degrees-of-freedom (5-DOF) controlled, wide-bandwi...
A compact two-dimensional micro scanner with small volume, large deflection angles and high frequency is presented and the two-dimensional laser scanning is achieved by specular reflection. To achieve large deflection angles, the micro scanner excite...
This topical review discusses recent development and trends on scanning micromirrors for biomedical applications. This also includes a biomedical micro robot for precise manipulations in a limited volume. The characteristics of medical scanning micro...
Acoustic microactuation technology has emerged as an effective approach for fabrication of micro- and nanoscale objects, enabling precise processing and shaping control of microscale materials by efficiently transmitting ultrasonic vibration energy a...
In this paper, a novel micro-positioning device based on a 3D digital actuator is presented. The proposed system allows realizing planar motions of micro-objects, which could be implemented in several applications where micro-positioning tasks are ne...
Micro-actuators driven on resonance maximize reach and speed; however, due to their sensitivity to environmental factors (e.g., temperature and air pressure), the amplitude and phase response must be monitored to achieve an accurate actuator position...
Micro actuators have been used to realize the arrival of digestive tract lesions for the local targeted application of drugs in endoscopes. However, there still exists a key safety issue that casts a shadow over the practical and safe implementation...
This work describes an on-chip integrated micro-actuator device for slack-free carbon nanotube (CNT) resonators, improving frequency tunability and Q factor and to study non-linear mode interaction. The device fabricated on SOI wafer with low thermal...
This paper presents the design of a high-precision micro actuator capable of achieving a resolution of 1 micron and a stroke length of 20 mm. For accuracy and sustainability, the micro actuator uses a stepper motor-based mechanism that can maintain p...
In this work, the generalized finite difference method (GFDM), a popular meshless numerical method, is employed for predicting the thermal and mechanical behavior of an electrothermal micro-actuator. Based on the concept of GFDM and discretization on...
A MEMS-based micro valve fitted with a piezoelectric actuator is presented in order to achieve a continuously adjustable flow rate control. The micro valve is realized using a cost-effective fabrication scheme with simple polyimide (PI) bonding, whic...
In order to process micro scale parts more conveniently, especially the micro parts with complex shape, a new micro blanking equipment based on piezoelectric ceramic driving is proposed in this paper. Compared with other large precision machining equ...
Plasma actuators are promising devices for near-wall flow control; however, conventional actuators often produce jets and forcing regions with excessive wall-normal spread, which reduces near-wall actuation selectivity. In this study, micro plasma ac...
Piezoelectric actuators are widely utilized to convert electrical energy into mechanical strain with considerable potential in micro mobile robot applications. However, the use of Pb-based Lanthanumdoped Zirconate Titanates (PZTs) leads to two diffic...
As smart structures are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in our daily life, the need for efficient modeling electromechanical coupling devices is also rapidly advancing. Smart structures are often made of piezoelectric materials such as lead zirconat...
This paper presents an improved micro-step voltage-fed actuator for an automobile active grill shutter (AGS) system. A novel structured stepper motor, which contains both the main and auxiliary teeth in the stator, is proposed for the actuator. In a...
This paper presents an overview of cooperative actuator and sensor systems based on dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers. A DE consists of a flexible capacitor made of a thin layer of soft dielectric material (e.g., acrylic, silicone) surrounded wit...
Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a class of smart materials characterized by shape memory effect and pseudo-elastic behavior. They have the capability to retain their original form when subjected to certain stimuli, such as heat or a magnetic field. Th...
In this paper, a novel optimal 3-DoF micro-conveyor based on electromagnetic digital actuators array is proposed. The micro-conveyor consists of four electromagnetic digital actuators. Two specific control strategies have been built to realize the 3-...
Recent studies have highlighted the advantageous applications of the Marangoni effect in interfacial propulsion systems. Among these, optically driven Marangoni systems are particularly promising owing to their precise controllability and eco-friendl...
Bubble actuated micro-pumps have great potential to be integrated into microfluidic systems to allow the independence of peripheral equipment. Previous studies on bubble actuated valveless micro-pumps have been mainly limited to experimental studies...
A non-contact piezoelectric actuator is proposed. The non-contact power transfer between stator and rotor is realized by pneumatic transmission, characterized by fast response, long life, compact structure, and easy miniaturization and control. The s...
Modeling and waveform optimization are important research topics for piezo-actuated stick–slip micro-drives. In this paper, the dynamics of piezo-actuated stick–slip micro-drives (PASSMDs) are theoretically investigated. We introduce an extended mode...
The remarkable advantages micro-chip platforms offer over cumbersome, time-consuming equipment currently in use for bio-analysis are well documented. In this research, a micro-chip that includes a unique magnetic actuator (MA) for the manipulation of...
Surface-bound 3D micro-magnets are fabricated from photoreactive copolymers filled with magnetic nanoparticles by maskless 3D writing. The structures are generated by 2-photon crosslinking (2PC), which allows direct writing into solid films of compos...
The compact, simple, and fast-reaction pneumatic microactuator is significant for the integration and high efficiency of pneumatic systems. In this work, the structure, working principle, and multiphysical model of an on-chip pneumatic microactuator...
We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of single and antagonistic SMA microactuators allowing for uni- and bi-directional self-folding of origami-inspired devices, respectively. Test devices consist of two triangular tiles that are...
This paper presents results of the first phase of “Dielectric Elastomer Cooperative Microactuator Systems” (DECMAS), a project within the German Research Foundation Priority Program 2206, “Cooperative Multistable Multistage Microact...
In micro-production technology (MPT), the demand for ultra-precise machine tools has been steadily increasing. Conventional guideway systems, such as hydrostatic or aerostatic bearings, often face limitations in terms of compactness, media supply, an...
MEMS actuators rely on the deformation of silicon structures. Using dimensions smaller than dozens of micrometers reveals that the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) actuators are affected by fabrication inaccuracies, leading to hardly predictab...
This paper provides an overview of techniques of compact modeling via model order reduction (MOR), emphasizing their application to cooperative microactuators. MOR creates highly efficient yet accurate surrogate models, facilitating design studies, o...
To address the issues of mechanical wear and limited service life in conventional contact piezoelectric actuators, this study proposes a non-contact piezoelectric actuator employing compressed air for energy transmission; we elucidate its structure a...
Micro-factories are characterized by high modularity, reconfigurability and mobility. To achieve this, the micro-factory needs a conveyor which is able to transport objects in as many degrees of freedom (DoF) as possible, executes optimal trajectorie...
This paper reports the design, simulation and experimental study of a linear magnetic microactuator for portable electronic equipment and microsatellite high resolution remote sensing technology. The linear magnetic microactuator consists of a planar...
Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) electromagnetic actuators have rapidly evolved into critical components of various microscale applications, offering significant advantages including precision, controllability, high force density, and rapid res...
The self-sensing technology of microactuators utilizes a smart material to concurrently actuate and sense in a closed-loop control system. This work aimed to develop a position feedback-control system of nickel electrothermal microactuators using a r...
By introducing smart materials in micro systems technologies, novel smart microactuators and sensors are currently being developed, e.g., for mobile, wearable, and implantable MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical-system) devices. Magnetic shape memory allo...
Microactuators, which can transform external stimuli into mechanical motion at microscale, have attracted extensive attention because they can be used to construct microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and/or microrobots, resulting in extensive appli...
We present a novel design approach for the power optimization of cantilever-based shape memory alloy (SMA)/Si bimorph microactuators as well as their microfabrication and in situ characterization. A major concern upon the miniaturization of SMA/Si bi...
Mechanical stimulation is prevalent within organisms, and appropriate regulation of such stimulation can significantly enhance cellular functions. Consequently, the in vitro construction and simulation of mechanical stimulation have emerged as a rese...
Micro conveyance devices are important elements in high precision positioning systems, which play vital roles in many scientific and industrial fields and are widely needed in many applications. This work presents the modeling and experimental valida...
The piezoelectric-actuated flexure-based compliant platform is commonly adopted in many fields of micro and nanotechnology. In this paper, bond graph modeling, and kinematic and dynamic characteristics of a piezoelectric-actuated micro-/nano complian...
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