Title :
A low voltage capillary microgripper using electrowetting
Author :
Vasudev, A. ; Zhe, J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mech. Eng., Univ. of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
Abstract :
We present a new microgripper utilizing a liquid droplet to pick up and release micro objects. Lifting force is evolved from a liquid bridge formed between the gripper surface and an object. Electrowetting is used to dynamically change the capillary lifting forces and enable object release. The driving voltage is applied to a pair of coplanar interdigitated electrodes. A Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) insulation layer is used to lower the driving voltage. Experiments indicated that the lifting forces can be as high as 213 muN at a driving voltage of 28 V. Experiments also demonstrated the picking-up and releasing of micro glass beads.
Keywords :
capillarity; glass; grippers; micromanipulators; wetting; BST insulation layer; capillary lifting forces; capillary microgripper; coplanar interdigitated electrodes; electrowetting; micro glass beads; Barium; Binary search trees; Bridge circuits; Electrodes; Glass; Grippers; Insulation; Low voltage; Strontium; Titanium compounds; Capillary Force; Electrowetting; Microassembly; Microgripper; Micromanipulation;
Conference_Titel :
Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference, 2009. TRANSDUCERS 2009. International
Conference_Location :
Denver, CO
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4190-7
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4193-8
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.2009.5285747
