SGER: Micro and Nano-Robotics Motion Control and Self Assembly Algorithms

该项目旨在分别研究毫米和纳米范围内物体的机器人控制和组装。具体的研究课题包括开发运动控制技术和算法，用于原子力定位和力反馈操纵系统，以及用于包括微和分子尺度致动器的微和纳米机器人系统（例如，马达、泵等）。还将研究这些致动器的各种建议的设计，并且将为这样的系统制定现实的物理模型，包括（i）平坦表面上的环境，以及（ii）流体环境（例如，微流体MEMS架构，以及在流体环境中移动的机器人系统）。作为一种应用，将研究MEMS尺度巴贝奇机器的开发，这是一种微尺度机械计算机器，其长期目标是构建纳米尺度可编程机器。拟议的研究是高风险的，由于在所有的基本性质的分子被操纵的不确定性和缺乏一个完整的表征在这个微观和分子尺度的操作系统的物理特性。

This project seeks to investigate robotic control and assembly of objects in the millimeter and nanometer range, respectively. Specific topics of research include developing motion control techniques and algorithms for atomic force positioning and force-feedback manipulation systems and for micro and nano-robotic systems that include micro and molecular scale actuators (e.g., motors, pumps, etc.). Various proposed designs for these actuators will also be investigated, and realistic physical models will be formulated for such systems, including (i) environments on flat surfaces, and (ii) fluid environments (e.g., micro-fluid-MEMS architectures, and robotic systems that move in fluid environments). As one application, the development of a MEMS scale Babbage machine will be investigated, which is a micro-scale mechanical computing machine, with the long term aim of building nano-scale programmable machines. The proposed research is of high risk due to the uncertainty in all the essential properties of the molecules to be manipulated and lack of a complete characterization of the physical properties of the manipulation systems at this micro and molecular scale.