Rapid Prototyping of Millirobots using Composite Fiber Toolkits

The research funded under this grant is to determine how to create a rapid prototyping system which can automatically combine millimeter-size links and joints with actuators, sensors, and wiring, using kits of component parts and a novel low-cost assembly system. Identification and design of a minimal sufficient set of uncured composite-fiber millirobot components will be explored. The problem of flexible wiring around joints will be addressed using thin laminations of copper foil and polymers. The use of compliant motion strategies with fixtures will be studied for precise and reliable micro-part placement. Experiments to verify reliability of micro-manipulation will be performed, and results used to improve compliant motion strategies. The design of novel compliant mechanisms for two-fingered micromanipulation using low-cost off-the-shelf actuators will be explored. Using these compliant micromanipulation primitives, an assembly system will be designed which can automatically and reliably build mechatronic systems with dozens of degrees of freedom using these component parts. Standardizing the assembly tooling, system components, and joining processes for this rapid prototyping system will be studied to allow the easy copying and fabrication of millirobot designs across institutions. If this research is successful, it will lead to creation of a common, low-cost tool which removes barriers to millirobot fabrication, and allows easy sharing of designs and fabrication sequences among many diverse, widely distributed users. Understanding will be advanced in rapid prototyping of centimeter scale mechatronic systems, including design of miniature joint, structure, actuator, sensor, and wiring components, as well as automatic assembly methods using a minimal complexity, very low cost robotic manipulation system. This rapid prototyping tool will enable faster research into millirobot applications such as miniature surgical robots, by enabling many more designers to construct and test real millirobots.