Dual-arm micromanipulation and handling of objects through visual images

Pick-and-place of micro-scale objects is essential for many microscopic tasks. For more sophisticated tasks, grasping and manipulating objects with two independent tools can enhance the capability and the dexterity of the tools. In this work, a dual-arm micromanipulation system equipped with two tungsten probes was employed for the manipulation of a sphere. In order to provide sufficient contact area for grasping, the two probes were positioned side-by-side to grasp a sphere lying on a glass substrate. Visual images were used to provide feedback for manipulating the sphere from one location to the desired location, finally releasing the sphere. Since the adhesion force is dominant in the micro-scale environment, the sphere adheres to the probe and could not be released. To resolve this issue, the two probes were reconfigured after the manipulation. The contact points of the two probes were reconfigured from a side-by-side contact, to a tip-to-tip contact with the sphere. Experimental results confirmed that through this probe reconfiguration, the success rate of sphere release from the probes is higher, allowing improved throughput with such an approach.