Saito Ken, Iwata Kei, Ishihara Yuki, Sugita Kazuki, Takato Minami, Uchikoba Fumio
Department of Precision Machinery Engineering, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 7-24-1 Narashinodai, Funabashi-shi, Chiba 274-8501, Japan.
Precision Machinery Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 1-8-14 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308, Japan.
Micromachines (Basel). 2016 Mar 31;7(4):58. doi: 10.3390/mi7040058.
Although several types of locomotive microrobots have been developed, most of them have difficulty locomoting on uneven surfaces. Thus, we have been focused on microrobots that can locomote using step patterns. We are studying insect-type microrobot systems. The locomotion of the microrobot is generated by rotational movements of the shape memory alloy-type rotary actuator. In addition, we have constructed artificial neural networks by using analog integrated circuit (IC) technology. The artificial neural networks can output the driving waveform without using software programs. The shape memory alloy-type rotary actuator and the artificial neural networks are constructed with silicon wafers; they can be integrated by using micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology. As a result, the MEMS microrobot system can locomote using step patterns. The insect-type MEMS microrobot system is 0.079 g in weight and less than 5.0 mm in size, and its locomotion speed is 2 mm/min. The locomotion speed is slow because the heat of the shape memory alloy conducts to the mechanical parts of the MEMS microrobot. In this paper, we discuss a new rotary actuator compared with the previous model and show the continuous rotation of the proposed rotary actuator.
尽管已经开发出了几种类型的移动微型机器人，但它们中的大多数在不平坦表面上移动都存在困难。因此，我们一直专注于能够使用步幅模式移动的微型机器人。我们正在研究昆虫型微型机器人系统。微型机器人的运动是由形状记忆合金型旋转致动器的旋转运动产生的。此外，我们利用模拟集成电路（IC）技术构建了人工神经网络。人工神经网络无需使用软件程序就能输出驱动波形。形状记忆合金型旋转致动器和人工神经网络都是用硅片构建的；它们可以通过微机电系统（MEMS）技术集成。结果，MEMS微型机器人系统能够使用步幅模式移动。昆虫型MEMS微型机器人系统重量为0.079克，尺寸小于5.0毫米，其移动速度为2毫米/分钟。移动速度较慢是因为形状记忆合金的热量传导到了MEMS微型机器人的机械部件上。在本文中，我们讨论了一种与先前模型相比的新型旋转致动器，并展示了所提出的旋转致动器的连续旋转。
