A 4-degrees-of-freedom microrobot with nanometer resolution

A new type of microrobot is described. Its simple and compact design is believed to be of promise in the microrobotics field. Stepping motion allows speeds up to 4mm/s. Resolution smaller than 10 nm is achievable. Experiments in an open-loop motion demonstrated a repeatability better than 50 mu m on a 10 mm displacement at an average speed of 0.25 mm/s. A position feedback based on a microvision system will be developed in order to achieve a submicron absolute position accuracy.