Spherical bistable micromechanism

A new micromechanism, the spherical bistable micromechanism (SBM), is described. The SBM has several advantageous features, which include two stable positions that require power only in transitioning from one position to the other; robustness against small disturbances; and a compact footprint and an output link with a stable out-of-plane orientation. The SBM may be useful in applications such as 2D optical mirror arrays or in erecting out-of-plane structures.