A Novel Biomimetic micro-Inclinometer: modeling and preliminary prototypes

This work presents the design, modeling and micro-fabrication of a biomimetic digital-output inclinometer. It describes the first attempt, up to our knowledge, to exploit the statolyth-cilia arrangement found in the statocyst organ, common in the animal kingdom, for the development of an artificial sensor. A CAD model and the techniques used for the sensor micro-fabrication, together with considerations on its working principle are presented. A model taking into account gravitational, viscous and electric forces is also presented. The first prototype has an external cubic shape with a 3 mm edge and presents a spatial angular resolution of about pi/5 steradians. This micro-inclinometer is intended to provide micro-robots (e.g. autonomous robots, robotic endoscopes or surgical tools) with spatial orientation information