This paper describes the implementation of smart materials in actuators which are employed by mobile microrobots. A versatile microrobot is able to perform complex handling and joining procedures of microobjects with high precision. Such a microrobot requires precise actuators made of specific smart materials. These materials enable the microrobots to fulfill movements in coarse- and fine-positioning mode.
The actuator material, currently most frequently used for the coarse-positioning mode, is a piezoelectric ceramic. It is important for the coarse-positioning actuators to be able to carry the entire weight of the microrobots, to provide a velocity of several cm/s and a positioning accuracy in a range of a few μm.
The actuators for a fine-positioning unit have to provide an accuracy in the range of a few nanometers. The workspace of a fine-positioning unit depends on a task and is in between a few μm3 and several cm3.
For this use, piezoelectric ceramics are suitable as well. Furthermore, the employment of ferrofluids is promising.
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