Robust micromanipulation strategies are needed in order to overcome a potential technology barrier to the commercial development of complex microelectromechanical (MEMS) devics. Development of robust strategies requires an investigation into two critical issues not applicable to the traditional macro manipulation domain. These issues include the much higher relative positioning accuracy required, and the vastly different mechanics of manipulation. Both of these differences highlight the need for micromanipulation strategies that are guided by realtime sensor feedback. Initial experimental results indicate that feedback from high resolution optical systems with controllable intrinsic and extrinsic parameters in useful for manipulation over a broad range of micromanipulation tasks. This research theoretically and experimentally investigates sensor-based micromanipulation strategies that account for the different mechanics that govern object interactions on a micron scale. A critical aspect of the approach entails the use of realtime vision feedback from active optical systems to correct for micromanipulation mechanics that are often difficult to model precisely. In addition, various micro- grippers will be designed and analyzed, and promising designs will be micromachined and tested. This research will result in experimental and theoretical analyses that will illuminate the similarities and differences between sensor-based manipulation in macro and micro domains. The realization of successful micromanipulation strategies will aid in the development of automatic assembly machines for assembling and packaging future MEMS devices that require increasingly complex assembly strategies.
