3D omnidiectional contollable elastic IPMC tweezer with self-sensing and adjustable clamping force abilities for biomedical applications

This paper presents state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) omnidirectional accessible elastic tweezers, which are fabricated with flexible ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) using an innovative micromachining process. The tweezer is consisted of two major parts: motion element and clamping head (Fig. 1). With novel multiple electrodes design, the clamping head not only can move multi-directionally, but can provide an adjustable clasping force via electrical voltage control. Meanwhile, the capability of self-sensing its grasping force through the feedback current is the uniqueness of the transducer. The tweezer could be useful in microendoscopic surgery.