Microrobot locomotion in a mechanical vibration field

A mechanical vibration field generated by a piezoelectric vibrator can supply a microrobot with power without using wires, by exciting resonant actuators mechanically. Furthermore, this energy field implicity contains control signals that make it possible to activate actuators selectively. A microrobot measuring 1.5 mmx0.7 mm was fabricated using silicon micromachining technology and a folding process to make three-dimensional structures. The microrobot is modeled as a damped, 3 d.o.f. system driven by displacement excitation. The microrobot's design was determined from simulation results based on this model. The fastest microrobot walks at a velocity of about 2 mm/s on the conductive base vibrating with an amplitude of 1 μm. The conductivity of the base has a great influence on the microrobot velocity, because electrostatic force between the microrobot and the base prevents the microrobot from moving rapidly.

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