Metin Sitti
Carnegie Mellon University
Mauldin Auditorium (NSH 1305)
Refreshments 3:15 pm
Talk 3:30 pm
For the miniaturization of devices and machines down to atomic and
molecular sizes, a nano-robotic approach enabling manipulation,
manufacturing, and interaction at the nano-scale is indispensable.
Nano-robotics as an emerging robotics field is based on nano-scale
physics, fabrication, sensing, actuation, dynamics and control, taking the
scaling effects into consideration. This presentation will focus on
robotic precision manipulation of nano-objects and manufacturing of
biomimetic micro/nano-structures using Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
probes. Here, AFM probes are utilized as a pushing, cutting, and
indenting type of nano-manipulator, and also as a 3-D topography and force
sensor. At first, using a piezoresistive AFM probe and a teleoperated
human-machine interface, particles down to 28 nm diameter are positioned
in 2-D by mechanical pushing for developing nano-assembly technology, and
touch feedback from the surfaces at the nano-scale is realized. Next, a
nano-robotic approach is used for fabricating molding templates of
biomimetic gecko foot-hair micro/nanostructures by indenting soft
materials. Indented surfaces are molded with a liquid polymer, and, after
curing, arrays of synthetic micro/nano-hairs are fabricated from silicone
rubber and polyimide kind of polymers. Mass production issues using the
robotic approach are discussed, and a parallel micro/nano-hair fabrication
technique using self-organized nano-pore membranes as molding templates is
proposed. These synthetic hairs would enable novel dry adhesives and
future miniature climbing search-and-rescue, space and surgical robots.
Finally, miniaturization of the micro/nano-robots using micro- and
nanotechnology is discussed, and as a case study, design, manufacturing
and control of miniature flying micro-robots and Integrated Nano-Tool
Carrier (INTC) robots are explained briefly, and challenging issues are
addressed.
Metin Sitti received the BSc and MSc degrees in electrical and electronics
engineering from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 1992 and 1994
respectively, and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the
University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, in 1999. He was a recipient of the
Monbusho Research Fellowship from the Japanese Ministry of Education
during his study in Japan. He was a research scientist and lecturer in
the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University
of California at Berkeley during 1999-2002, working in Micromechanical
Flying Insects and Biomimetic Gecko Foot-Hair Nanostructures projects, and
teaching the graduate level Micro/Nano-Robotics course. He is currently
an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department and the
Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests
include micro/nano-robotics, nano-manufacturing, MEMS/NEMS,
bio-nanotechnology, and tele-robotics. He received the best paper award
(1998) in the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and
Systems, and the best video award (2002), the best student paper
nomination (2001), and the best paper nomination (2000) in the IEEE
Robotics and Automation Conference. He is the chair of the Nanorobotics
and Nanomanufacturing technical committee in the IEEE Nanotechnology
Council.
For appointments, please
contact Metin Sitti (msitti@andrew.cmu.edu)
The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.
