Teleoperated Nano Scale Object Manipulation

2003

In this paper, a visual and haptic human–machine interface is proposed for teleoperated nano-scale object interaction and manipulation. Design specifications for a bilateral scaled tele-operation system with slave and master robots, sensors, actuators and control are discussed. The Phantom™ haptic device is utilized as the master manipulator, and a piezoresistive atomic force microscope probe is selected as the slave manipulator and as topography and force sensors.

2001

Abstract A human-machine interface is proposed for teleoperated nano scale object interaction and manipulation. Design specifications for a bilateral scaled teleoperation system with slave and master robots, sensors, actuators, and control are discussed. Phantom and home-made haptic devices are utilized as the master manipulator, and a piezoresistive MEMS fabricated probe is selected as the slave manipulator, and topology and force sensor.

2003

Abstract Nanomanipulation as a new emerging area enables to change, interact and control the nanoscale phenomenon precisely. In this paper, teleoperated and automatic control strategies for atomic force microscope (AFM) probe based nanomanipulation applications are introduced. Teleoperated touching to silicon surfaces at the nanoscale is realized using a scaled bilateral force-reflecting servo type teleoperation control with custom-made 1 dof haptic device and AFM system.

2010

This paper presents the design of a new tool for 3D manipulations at micro and nanoscale based on the coupling between a high performance haptic system (the ERGOS system) and two Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probes mounted on quartz tuning fork resonators, acting as a nano tweezers. This unique combination provides new characteristics and possibilities for the localization and manipulation of (sub)micronic objects in 3 dimensions. The nano robot is controlled through a dual sensorial interface including 3D haptic and visual rendering, it is capable of performing a number of real-time tasks on different samples in order to analyse their dynamic effects when interacting with the AFM tips. The goal is then to be able to compare mechanical properties of different matters (stiffness of soft or hard matter) and to handle submicronic objects in 3 dimensions.

2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2011

This paper reports the remote handling of microscale objects, between two sites approximately 630 km distant. To manipulate objects less than 10 µm, specific equipments such as AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) cantilevers integrated into a SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) are generally required. Enabling remote access to such a system would benefit any micro/nanoresearcher. However, vision feedback and sensor data of a micromanipulation system are generally limited, hence the implementation of a teleoperation scenario is not straightforward. Specific tools are proposed here for an intuitive manipulation in a wide range of applications. To ensure ease of manipulation, both a 3D virtual representation of the scene and haptic feedback are provided. Force sensor feedback is limited since only two measures are available. In order to extend this information, vision algorithms are developed to estimate the respective positions of the tool and objects, which are then used to calculate the haptic feedback. The stability of the overall scheme is very sensitive to time delays. This requirement is taken into account in vision algorithms and the communication module which transfers the data between the two remote sites. In addition, the proposed robotic control architecture is modular so that the platform can be used for a wide range of applications. First results are obtained on a teleoperation between Paris, France, and Oldenburg, Germany. * A. Bolopion, C. Stolle and R. Tunnell contributed equally to this work.

2006

Abstract In a haptic interface system with a nanoscale virtual environment (NVE) using an atomic force microscope, not only is stability important, but task-based performance (or fidelity) is crucial. In this paper, we introduce a nanoscale virtual coupling (NSVC) concept and explicitly derive the relationship between performance, stability, and scaling factors of velocity (or position) and force. An available scaling factor region is represented based on Llewellyn's absolute stability criteria and the physical limitation of the haptic device.

2003

Abstract In this paper, a teleoperated nanoscale touching system is proposed, and continuum nanoscale contact mechanics models are introduced. The tele-nanorobotic system consists of a piezoresistive nanoprobe with a sharp tip as the nanorobot and force-topology sensor, a custom-made 1-degree-of-freedom haptic device for force-feedback, three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) graphics display of the nano world for visual feedback, and a force-reflecting servo type scaled teleoperation controller.

The telemanipulation control approach is widely used in micro/nano manipulation where complex handling tasks are to be completed in very small spaces unnatural for humans. Visual, tactile, position or force feedbacks are used assisting the operator to see, sense and control the manipulation process. Without any of these feedbacks it is very difficult to work into the unknown micro/nano world. It is possible to create virtual working environment using the impedance parameters spring, damping and inertia to follow its dynamics. To improve operator's skills for handling the micro/nano operations, an impedance scaling approach is used herein. The development of a telemanipulation approach for mechatronic handling devices employed for micro/nano operations with three degrees of freedom (DoF) is presented. A virtual environment is created and sensed accounting for spring and damping virtual force effects. The effectiveness of the teleoperation control is experimentally investigated o...

Proc. 1st Joint Emer. Prep. Response/ …, 2006

Repeatable manipulation and assembly of micro-scale components is a critical capability for future developments in opto-electronics, hybrid microelectromechanical systems, and the integration of nano-scale devices into larger systems. This paper focuses on one particular part of this problem; the manipulation and assembly of microspheres using a single probe with force feedback. A sharp probe combined with a high precision positioning system is used to push microspheres into desired locations and configurations within a two-dimensional workspace. A description of this micromanipulation system is presented along with a discussion on the basic manipulation capabilities. Force feedback has been utilized in two ways. First, it is used to measure the interaction forces during micromanipulation for detecting collisions with particles and determining the forces necessary for successful manipulation. Second, a force control system for the vertical contact force has been developed for improved sensitivity during manipulation. In both cases, a piezoresistive silicon cantilever micro force sensor with an approximate force resolution of 10 N is used. Preliminary experimental results for the force control system and the measurement of manipulation contact forces are presented.

IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 2000

V irtual reality (VR) is a powerful technology for solving today's real-world problems. It has been conceived as a tool to liberate consciousness, a digital mandala for the cyberian age. VR refers to computer-generated, interactive, three-dimensional (3-D) environments into which people are immersed. It provides a way for people to visualize, manipulate, and interact with simulated environments through the use of computers and extremely complex data. The scientific community has been working in the field of VR for some years now, having recognized it as a very powerful human-computer interface. Researchers are able to exploit VR for visualizing scientific data and for modeling and animating complex engineering systems. The traditional applications of VR have been in such areas as medicine, education, arts, entertainment, and the military. Emerging VR applications such as the manipulation of molecules for the development of nanotechnology devices and chemical systems are significantly less explored than the traditional applications mentioned above. Nanotechnology has recently emerged as the new frontier in science and technology. The essence of nanotechnology is the ability to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create large structures or devices with fundamentally new molecular organization. VR techniques are currently being explored in nanoscience research as a way to enhance the operator's perception (vision and haptics) by approaching more or less a state of "full immersion" or "telepresence." The development of nanoscale devices or machine components presents difficult fabrication and control challenges. Such devices will operate in microenvironments whose physical properties differ from those encountered by conventional parts. Particularly interesting microenvironments are those found in nanomedicine where nanorobots could operate inside the body to provide significant new capabilities for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Since these nanoscale robots have not yet been fabricated, evaluating possible designs and control algorithms requires the use of theoretical estimates and virtual interfaces/environments. Such interfaces/simulations can operate at various levels of detail to trade off physical accuracy, computational cost, number of components, and the time over which the simulation follows the nano-object behaviors. They can enable nanoscientists to extend their eyes and hands into the nanoworld and also enable new types of exploration and whole new classes of experiments in the biological and physical sciences. VR simulations can also be used to develop virtual assemblies of nanocomponents into mobile linkages and predict their performance. Furthermore, as experimentation at A Review Study BY ANTOINE FERREIRA AND CONSTANTINOS MAVROIDIS such small scales is so difficult and time consuming, VR-based simulations can provide a fast and reliable tool to test "in silico" various hypotheses and select the optimal one for further validation in experimental testing. This article describes some of the emerging applications of VR recently completed or currently underway in the field of nanotechnology with an emphasis on existing experimental systems. Nanomanipulation and Virtual Reality Nanotechnology can best be defined as a description of activities at the level of atoms and molecules that have applications in the macroworld. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, that is, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or ten times the diameter of a hydrogen atom. The size-related challenge is the ability to measure, manipulate, and assemble matter with features on the scale of 1-100 nm. Figure 1 shows the design of a general-purpose molecular manipulator arm with 2,596 atoms, resembling a Stewart platform. In order to achieve cost-effectiveness in nanotechnology, it will be necessary to automate molecular manufacturing. The engineering of molecular products need to be car r ied out by robots, which have been termed nanomanipulators. On one side, some researchers are trying to understand more about "n-world" (the nanoworld) physics and chemistry, and, on the other, robotics researchers are attempting to construct new tools, new control and sensing technologies, and human-machine interfaces specific to the n-world. Ideal performance requirements are such that a human operator manipulates parts in the normal size world and performs tasks (such as cutting, grasping, transportation, assembly, scratching, digging, and stretching) that have a direct similar mapping in the n-world [1], [2]. Micro-and nanomanipulations can be broadly classified into two types: 1) contact type and 2) noncontact type. So far, contact methods of scanned-probe microscopy (SPM), such as the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) [3] and atomic force microscope (AFM) [4], seem to be the common tools for scanning and manipulating at the n-scale (nanoscale). Hollis et al. were among the first to develop a teleoperated nanomanipulation system. The STM allows for both visualization and manipulation at the atomic level [5]. However, it only works for conducting or semiconductor materials and is always used in a vacuum. This limits the range of objects that the STM can manipulate. Current work is mainly focused on using AFM nanoprobes for teleoperated physical interactions and manipulation at the n-scale. Many of these systems have been implemented in research prototypes, and demonstrations that may lead to useful applications of nanoassembly are beginning to appear. The nanoManipulator (http://www.nanoma-nipulator.com), developed by a group at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), was the first to be commercialized. Different commercial products are starting to be available to study nanoscale science, for example, the nanomanipulator NanoFeel 300 (http://www.nanofeel.com) and the Zyvex Nanomanipulation System (http://www.zyvex.com) or software products such as the NanoMove manipulation software commercially available from Veeco Instruments Inc. (http://www.veeco.com) and the Argyle real-time 3-D visualization software from Asylum Research (http://www.asylumresearch.com). Noncontact methods such as laser beams can also be used to trap and manipulate small particles. A laser apparatus, called OT (optical tweezers) [6], provides the user with a noncontact method for manipulating objects that can be applied to viruses, bacteria, living cells, and synthetic microand nanoscale particles. The AFM and STM are generally limited to two dimensions with a very limited third dimension (sometimes referred to 2.5 dimensions) while OT can work in three dimensions. Considering the nano-specific problems related to task application, tools and the interconnection technologies leads to many flexible nanomanipulation concepts. They can range from teleoperation to automatic manipulation [7]. In the former approach, teleoperation needs to virtually present the nanoscale environment to the operator such that the operator can be aware of the target objects. Various techniques of virtual reality can be used to enhance this human-in-the-loop control system by letting the user feel immersed in the environment based on various sensory cues (visual, haptic, audio). Closed-loop task-oriented autonomous control was developed to avoid problems by executing only the given tasks without user intervention. Yet, automatic control in the nanoworld is still challenging due to the complexity of the nanoscale dynamics. VR technology comes to our aid by providing the experience of perception and interaction with the nanoworld through the use of sensors, effectors and interfaces in a simulated environment. The requirement is that the communication with the n-world must be at high level and in real time, preferably in a natural, possibly intuitive "language." Although many of the described technologies have been developed into more or less mature products for robots acting in the macroworld, the nano size of the objects poses extreme challenges and requires a complete rethinking of the sensory cues of the n-world. VR-Based Perception Solutions at the Nanoscale Restricted Visual Information The working environment must be perceivable by the operator and information in the processing scene must be trans