Tracking Experiments with ChevBot: A Laser-Actuated Stick-Slip Microrobot

The idea of utilizing laser energy to actuate and control microrobots has been envisioned for several past decades and has already been demonstrated in liquid environments. ChevBot is a novel microrobot driven by laser energy that targets operation in dry environments, such as in a future microfactory. The microrobot operates using stick-slip locomotion by converting opto-thermal energy from a focused laser source into mechanical energy using “chevron-style” actuators. ChevBot's body components are fabricated using Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) technology and completed using a microassembly process. In this paper, we present modeling and simulation results, validated by experimentation measuring the robot's locomotion performance under varying conditions. The microrobot is automatically tracked through a visual servoing scheme using a microscope, a 3-DOF positioning system, and is powered by a 532nm 2W ND-YAG laser source. Experiments suggest that ChevBot velocities in excess of 100μm/s are achievable.