Video-feedback control system for micro-movement and micro-manipulation of the APLIF microrobot

In this paper we present an application of the piezoelectric walking APLIF microrobots developed at the University of Catania. The APLIF is an autonomous piezoelectric microrobot where all the control electronics has been integrated inside the device by using a microcontroller. Moreover the system is capable to define its trajectories by using several sensors as infrared proximity sensors and a magnetic compass. A communication system permits each robot to exchange data with other microrobots, thus allowing the implementation of collective behaviour strategies. To investigate the capability of the system as regards micro positioning applications, a video-feedback system has been developed by using a video-camera, which focuses on the scene where the robot works. Some experimental results regarding the precision of the micromanipulation are also reported.