Journal
MICROMACHINES
Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/mi7040058
Keywords
microrobot; rotary actuator; shape memory alloy; artificial neural networks; MEMS; heat conduction
Categories
Funding
- Nihon University Academic Research Grant [14-002]
- JSPS KAKENHI [25420226]
- Research Center for Micro Functional Devices of Nihon University
- VLSI Design and Education Center (VDEC)
- University of Tokyo
- Synopsys, Inc.
- Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
- Mentor Graphics, Inc.
- Nihon University College of Science and Technology Project Research
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [25420226] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Although several types of locomotive microrobots have been developed, most of them have difficulty locomoting on uneven surfaces. Thus, we have been focused on microrobots that can locomote using step patterns. We are studying insect-type microrobot systems. The locomotion of the microrobot is generated by rotational movements of the shape memory alloy-type rotary actuator. In addition, we have constructed artificial neural networks by using analog integrated circuit (IC) technology. The artificial neural networks can output the driving waveform without using software programs. The shape memory alloy-type rotary actuator and the artificial neural networks are constructed with silicon wafers; they can be integrated by using micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology. As a result, the MEMS microrobot system can locomote using step patterns. The insect-type MEMS microrobot system is 0.079 g in weight and less than 5.0 mm in size, and its locomotion speed is 2 mm/min. The locomotion speed is slow because the heat of the shape memory alloy conducts to the mechanical parts of the MEMS microrobot. In this paper, we discuss a new rotary actuator compared with the previous model and show the continuous rotation of the proposed rotary actuator.
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