Untethered microscale flight: mechanisms and platforms for future aerial MEMS microrobots

Syed A. Hussain; Spencer Ward; Omid Mahdavipour; Ratul Majumdar; Igor Paprotny

doi:10.1117/12.2190851

18 June 2015 Untethered microscale flight: mechanisms and platforms for future aerial MEMS microrobots

Syed A. Hussain, Spencer Ward, Omid Mahdavipour, Ratul Majumdar, Igor Paprotny

Proceedings Volume 9494, Next-Generation Robotics II; and Machine Intelligence and Bio-inspired Computation: Theory and Applications IX; 94940F (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2190851
Event: SPIE Sensing Technology + Applications, 2015, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

This paper describes initial work on untethered microscale flying structures as a platform for new class of aerial MEMS microrobots. We present and analyze both biomimetic structures based partially on wing designs of smallest flying insects on Earth, as well as stress-engineered structures powered by radiometric (thermal) forces. The latter devices, also called MEMS Microfliers are 300 μm × 300 μm × 1.5 μm in size, and are fabricated out of polycrystalline silicon. A convex chassis, formed through a novel in-situ masked post-release stress-engineering process, ensures their static inflight stability. High-speed optical micrography was used to image these MEMS microfliers in mid-flight, analyzing their flight profile.

Citation Download Citation

Syed A. Hussain, Spencer Ward, Omid Mahdavipour, Ratul Majumdar, and Igor Paprotny "Untethered microscale flight: mechanisms and platforms for future aerial MEMS microrobots", Proc. SPIE 9494, Next-Generation Robotics II; and Machine Intelligence and Bio-inspired Computation: Theory and Applications IX, 94940F (18 June 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2190851

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