Tutorial Schedule
July 14, 2009 (Tuesday)
Tutorials are and to ALL registered AIM 09 delegates.
Tutorial details
TA 1
Title: Modelling and Control of Electroactive Polymers as Actuators
Speaker: Professor Gursel Alici, University of Wollongong, Australia
Date & Time: 14th July 09:00-12:30
Abstract: This tutorial aims to convey latest developments on modeling and control of electroactive polymer actuators which can operate both in dry and wet environments. These actuators are also known as artificial muscles with an operation principle based on the transfer of the ions in and out of the active conducting polymer layers. The electroactive polymers to be targeted in this tutorial are ionic-type conducting polymers typified by polypyrrole. The tutorial is divided into two parts; (i) modeling and understanding their bending behaviour as a quasi-static system and as a dynamic system, (ii) controlling their position (or improving their positioning ability) through feedback based and feedforward based inversion control techniques. Experimental and theoretical results will be presented to demonstrate the potential of these non-conventional actuators with many attractive characteristics such as low electric power consumption, suitability to miniaturisation, being compliant, light weight, bio-compatible, nonsensitive to magnetic field, simple operation principle not requiring advanced electronics, noiseless operation, and simple to fabricate and engineer. Further, the potential research issues in electroactive polymer actuators as macro and micro mechatronic systems will be discussed. This tutorial is recommended for any researcher interested in the operation principles, synthesis, modeling and control of smart actuators based on electroactive polymers.
TB 1
Title: Robot-Based Nanohandling Automation
Speaker: Professor Sergej Fatikow, University of Oldenburg, Germany
Date & Time: 14th July 14:00-17:30
Abstract: “What I want to talk about is the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale” stated Richard P. Feynman at the beginning of his visionary talk “There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, given on December 29th 1959 at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society at the California Institute of Technology. Today, half a century after this first insight into unlimited opportunities on the nanoscale, we still have to talk about the same issue. The problem identified by Feynmann turned out to be a very difficult one because of a lack of understanding of the underlying phenomena of the nanoworld and because of a lack of suitable nanohandling methods. This tutorial addresses the latter issue.
The handling of micro- and nanoscale objects with an accuracy in the nanometer range is an important current trend in robotics. It is often referred to as nanohandling and is primarily understood as manipulation of objects, which may include their finding, grasping, moving, tracking, releasing, positioning, pushing, pulling, cutting, bending, twisting, etc.
Additionally, many other technologies requiring tool/probe positioning with an accuracy in the nanometer range are also regarded as nanohandling, e.g. material nanocharacterization methods like indentation or scratching; mechanical or electrical measurements on nanoscale objects; nanostructuring of surfaces by deposition or removal of materials, and others. Automated nanohandling is one of the key challenges of microsystem technology and nanotechnology. It will enable high-throughput manufacturing of novel products and open up new application fields.
The tutorial bases on current research activities in AMiR, which include, amongst others, the development of new nanohandling robots; the investigation of novel automated nanohandling strategies; the development of advanced control methods; as well as the investigation of suitable real-time sensing technologies on the nanoscale. The focus of the tutorial is on current work of an automated robot-based nanohandling inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The latter serves as a powerful vision sensor and a work space for nanohandling robots integrated into the vacuum chamber and equipped with applicationspecific tools. Different research aspects of this work regarding the implementation of the main system components – the piezo-driven nanohandling robots, the control system, the vision-feedback approaches, and the force/tactile sensors – are discussed. Finally, current research projects and applications being pursued in AMiR are outlined. They include, amongst others, automated nanoassembly of AFM supertips inside SEM, handling and characterization of carbon nanotubes (CNT), electron beam induced deposition (EBiD) as a bonding and nanostructuring technology, automation issues in AFM-based nanohandling,and characterization of biological objects by AFM/nanorobots.
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