Micromanipulation of Flexible and Rigid Objects

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Robotics and Computer Vision ProgramABSTRACTProposal #: 0329106Title: Micromanipulation of Flexible and Rigid ObjectsPI: Ron LumiaUniversity of New MexicoThe goal of this work is to develop a better theoretical and practical understanding of how to grasp rigid and flexible objects that range in size between 1-100 microns. We will develop a model for the ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) material that will be used to implement a microgripper. This electroactive material exhibits large deflection from only a few volts of actuation. Technically, there are two fundamental areas we will explore. The first relates to how small the IPMC material can be cut and still function as a microgripper. We will develop a new model for the microscale properties of this material. Using this model we will predict microgripper performance, e.g., strength, and test the model by building a variety of microgrippers. The second issue relates to releasing objects. Since gravity for small objects is several orders of magnitude smaller than other adhesive forces, a new approach to release objects will be explored. We propose to inject a short voltage pulse into a microgripper finger just at the moment it tries to release an object. This will change the polarity of the electrostatic charge stored at the finger, thus driving the object from the finger. The impact of this work can be significant because the microgripper is an enabling technology for a variety of applications. Microgrippers will be needed to grasp, manipulate, and place small components to create products. For flexible objects, microgrippers can manipulate cells for applications such as rapid and inexpensive DNA processing.