A miniature robot driven by smart power integrated circuits

A cm³-sized miniature robot for micromanipulation is presented. In order to achieve a high level of miniaturization, monolithic piezoactuator units are used and a new approach, called the smart powered piezoactuator unit (SPU), is used to integrate the driving circuitry on the robot platform. The SPU is based on the power drivers mounted closely to the actuator, and a serial communication interface which reduces the number of wires to the robot. Different serial communication protocols were developed and tested in order to achieve the maximum speed or maximum accuracy. A complete miniature robot was built, and the control of 5-axial movements using the robot is demonstrated.