High-Precision Micro-Robotics Technology in Industrial Applications

Thank you very much to the organizers, the China Institute of Electronics, for giving me this opportunity to share with you. I just heard Mr. Han’s presentation, which is highly relevant to the agenda I am discussing today. We mainly focus on the application of industrial robots in different scenarios, with an emphasis on innovation.

It is now clear that repeatability is very important, but how is it at the micro-nano level? How do robots sort items, such as small tomatoes that are only a few centimeters in diameter? These tasks are very suitable for micro-nano robots.

The focus is not just on sorting tomatoes, but rather to envision the future possibilities of this technology. When we talk about different technological initiatives, we are talking about building a very complex machine. In this regard, we also need to achieve high throughput, reliability, repeatability, and low cost at the micro-nano level. We need a large number of nano-scale robots to work in the corresponding fields, which is a completely different kind of industrial robot. So let’s talk about the terminology behind this new science.

When it comes to high precision, precision and accuracy are actually different. High-precision positioning must be achieved at the nano level, with high repeatability and reliability. According to ISO standards, high-precision micro-nano robots represent those below 100 nanometers. Only robot technologies below this threshold can be referred to as micro-nano technology. This area is a specialized science about small-sized robots.

Now let’s talk about micro-robots. This field has actually been developing for over 30 years, starting in the 1990s. Initially, there was some misleading belief that these micro-robots could achieve nano-scale precision and sustainability, but previously it was merely about reducing the size of the robots, which did not solve the precision problem. This is why micro-nano robots have become another focus of research.

We will briefly discuss the definition of high-precision micro-robots. Starting from the 1990s, research in this science was conducted at the centimeter scale. Our goal is high-precision drive sensor design and manufacturing to ensure precision at the nano level, rather than at the previously mentioned centimeter level. We need to answer the question of how small these micro-robots should be, addressing nano-scale physical problems. Designing robots is not the most important aspect; we need to ensure that robots can perform tasks with such precision. Therefore, we are not just about application programs, but rather ensuring precision that can adapt to many different environments of micro-robots. Often, they are as small as a concentrated coffee-sized robot, which is what we need to achieve.

We focus on the size of the robots in relation to the production of corresponding nano or biological materials, as well as membranes and other components. Often, there may be some bioengineering or even cellular surgeries, using ultra-micro scalpels. We can see that China has great potential in this area. When I first visited China 20 years ago, there was no research in high-precision micro-robotics. Now, there are over 50 very strong laboratories in China dedicated to research in this field. I am also glad to see such development, as this research has significant contributions to society.

This is an application scenario to help everyone understand. We use nano-scale robots to handle internal cells, which includes many different technologies and a large number of applications to create a very complex mechanical system at the nano assembly level, using FIB, AFM, and other techniques. In addition to robotic technology, we will also use high-precision micro-robots with real-time sensing at the micro level, which is indispensable for automation. We will use atomic microwaves or FIB imaging, for example, using electron counts or ion counts, which can also obtain corresponding images.

More importantly, all of these technologies operate in the same location, possibly within the same vacuum chamber, which is also a prerequisite for high-throughput and highly automated processes. Besides these different applications, let’s look at several current projects.

One is the abbreviation for German high-precision micro-robots, with the laboratory having 25 years of work. This is a project from our University of Oldenburg. The first thing we need to do is some categorization. This disruptive project actually has many parts that I prepared for this presentation, mainly involving two categories of practical applications.

The first category provides high-precision operational technology to complete larger research projects, directly transferring high-precision robotic technology to applications, referred to as enabling or empowering technology. This empowers practical applications.

The second category pertains to fundamental research, executing a large amount of basic scientific research. Only if you have the corresponding high-precision micro-robotic technology, especially with the relevant definitions and reserves of biological and nano-material technologies, can we engage in fundamental research and its specific applications.

Let me show you examples of these two project types. First, in our daily lives, we need to perform a lot of nano-wire picking and placing, which is actually a very simple application: pick it up and place it elsewhere, just like a robotic arm in a factory. However, the difference is at the nano level, with wires only a few nanometers thick. This gives everyone a basic sense of how we need to achieve high precision when handling nano-scale objects, as well as high-throughput manufacturing with good repeatability.

In Germany, the industry also requires us to provide such integration of 3D different nano-structures for various applications. We have also developed a very interesting method, first looking at how high-precision robots will apply to the first layer of applications. The smallest is actually around 200 nanometers of silicon atoms. We will use high-precision technology to integrate and combine the next layer of nano materials. Through this method, we assemble the nano layer by layer, ultimately forming a 3D material, as demonstrated in the slides.

At the end of the project, we combine these different types of nano-particles, for example, silicon and potassium, and discover a time-stamped phenomenon. There is an interaction between the various levels of nano-particles, and we are building a 3D structure. In other words, each molecule at a specific location in this 3D structure can be installed and removed, which is the application of our specific technology: 3D assembly.

Another technology involves furniture, where we use high-precision nano-robots to perform relevant technical home decoration. This is an important technology involving gas with foil, but it is quite challenging. Therefore, a localized focusing method is used to perform the corresponding work, which is actually a colloidal probe. We will use a high-precision method to assemble different layers of work. This is a project we have, and many of our projects are in similar cutting-edge application fields.

Another interesting application is in another field, with a fascinating theme regarding the utilization of graphene films. Let’s take a look at the video first. First, we can see what characteristics graphene films have. On the left, you can see graphene, which has a thickness of only about 2 nanometers, making it extremely thin. We slowly refract through this film to obtain a 3D graphic to understand the characteristics of this material. This is a very unique project.

Because the nano-film array will have the feature of automatic positioning, real-time feedback can be obtained through imaging. This is also a very important project done by another company in Germany. It collaborates with a center for heart disease to create implantable devices to measure patients’ blood pressure. We achieve this through an embedded electronic count. It is based on the principle of tunnel resistance of nano-particles within the electric diameter, using piezoelectric methods to sense the thermal differences, thereby measuring the patient’s blood pressure.

Under normal circumstances, the size requirements within the blood vessels are indeed at the nano level. Here, you can see that if you want, this is also a form of AI or adaptive intelligent control. Our approach was to use a real-time method to sense data based on templates, utilizing big data to look at its matching, with real-time drift compensation. This is a fully automated system inside the body, considering the flow of thermal currents, which may ensure consistent stability, thereby enhancing the overall precision and accuracy of the structure.

On the substrate, there are 36 NTIs, and the mechanical and periodic variance is less than 10%, which is a very interesting application. The second category of project applications has already been mentioned regarding fundamental research. Here, we see the study of thermodynamic characteristics of nano-materials and adhesion properties. If you understand nano-materials, there are many different types of materials, and many will have adhesion issues or corrosion issues, which are problems we need to solve.

We need to prevent adhesion from affecting the performance of devices during the entire assembly process. Currently, there is no precise knowledge on this, so we need to understand it through simulation for control. Here, we use micro-high-precision robots to tidy nano-wires with two different applications. There are two different nano-tools to assemble nano-wires onto surfaces, and on the right, you can see how to achieve this with high precision through the manual application of pressure.

If you are a mechanical engineer, you will understand this better, but at the nano level, it is very challenging. We need to monitor the location of nano-wires in real-time. This is also the mold we did later, which we have not published yet; we are still working on the first prototype. This is a basic model generated at the micron level, which is a nano-bend. The main issue is adhesion because of microscopic attractive forces, which can cause entanglement deformation. Therefore, we used nano-winding technology to avoid the occurrence of adhesion, allowing the advantages of the technology to be realized. This is a metal component made using nano-technology.

This is research we conducted a few years ago on how to handle liquid metal at the nano-state to create microscopic metal droplets. SEM manufacturing is conducted through electromagnetics. What we learned here is how to control the size and shape of nano-metals and place them where needed. Many companies need to research how to create lines on a nano-plate, so they require nano-spheres to click on top, as visual feedback is needed for positioning. A 3-nanometer diameter can create an indentation, thus forming a visual marker.

If we can manufacture and apply devices at the nano level, we need to have the ability to process materials at the nano plane, which requires very high-precision robots. This is crucial for engineering instruments to meet the commercial needs of nano-technology. HP robots are empowering technology related to the nano-level industry, and the impact and influence of HP robots are equivalent to that of nano-technology. This is a contribution our team has made. We are very proud that from a research and development institution, we already have three companies in Beijing, China, and also cooperative companies in Shanghai. Technologies and equipment related to small-scale robot manufacturing automation and control have already been launched in the market, and soon, there will be a conference held at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, in two years.

Let me show you a small video from the opening ceremony to remind us why we build robots: to automate the manufacturing of nano-level devices to benefit humanity and society. Thank you all for listening.

(This article is based on audio recordings)