Abstract:
The nascent field of microrobotics is experiencing a “Cambrian explosion” before our very eyes. Potential applications for these diminutive devices span an array of fields, including healthcare, exploration, environmental monitoring, search and rescue, industrial maintenance, and digital agriculture. However, the design of microrobotics systems is inherently tied to scaling-law constraints; as length scales decrease, surface forces and viscous forces (among others) begin to dominate inertial forces. This leads to fabrication bottlenecks, struggles with energy/power autonomy, and the need for specialized and often unconventional actuators.

In this talk, I will present three unconventional microactuators developed in my own group. Each leverages distinct physical principles to achieve high forces, frequencies, power densities, and integration potential in microrobotic platforms. These innovations highlight both the limitations imposed by microscale regimes and the opportunities that emerge when we embrace nontraditional transduction mechanisms for locomotion and manipulation.