This report highlights the findings of an extensive review of the literature in the area of nanorobotics. The main goal of this midyear LDRD effort is to survey and identify accomplishments and advancements that have been made in this relatively new and emerging field. As a result, it may be determined what routes in the area of nanorobotics are scientifically plausible and technically useful so that the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center can position itself to play a role in the future development of nanotechnology. 4This page intentionally left blank 5

A significant challenge associated with the development of precision motion control systems is the identification and modeling of friction. In particular, dynamic (presliding) friction is often difficult to accurately model in both the time domain and frequency domain simultaneously. We present a data-based modification to an existing friction model, known as the Dahl Dynamic Hysteresis Model (DHM), which incorporates an empirical friction slope function to provide a more accurate representation of arbitrarily shaped hysteresis curves. This data-based approach avoids the added complexity of identifying or fitting model parameters, and can be implemented with a simple look up table. Simulation results are validated with measured friction data collected from an experimental testbed. We show that the data-based approach significantly improves the friction model accuracy in both the time and frequency domains.

Due to the unique structure of TISO feedback systems, several closed loop properties can be characterized using the concepts of plant and controller “directions” and “alignment”. Poor plant/controller alignment indicates significant limitations in terms of closed loop performance. In general, it is desirable to design a controller that is well aligned with the plant in order to minimize the size of the closed loop sensitivity functions and closed loop interactions. Although the concept of alignment can be a useful analysis tool for a given plant/controller pair, it is not obvious how a controller should be designed to achieve good alignment. We present a new controller design approach, based on the well-known “PQ method”, which explicitly incorporates knowledge of alignment into the design process. This is accomplished by providing graphical information about the alignment angle on the Bode plot of the PQ frequency response. We show the utility of this approach through a design example.

Due to the unique structure of two-input single-output (TISO) feedback systems, several closed-loop properties can be characterized using the concepts of plant and controller “directions” and “alignment.” Poor plant/controller alignment indicates significant limitations in terms of closed-loop performance. In general, it is desirable to design a controller that is well aligned with the plant in order to minimize the size of the closed-loop sensitivity functions and closed-loop interactions. Although the concept of alignment can be a useful analysis tool for a given plant/controller pair, it is not obvious how a controller should be designed to achieve good alignment. We present a new controller design approach, based on the PQ method (Schroeck et al., 2001, “On Compensator Design for Linear Time invariant Dual-Input Single-Output Systems,” IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatronics, 6(1), pp. 50–57), which explicitly incorporates knowledge of alignment into the design process. This is accomplished by providing graphical information about the alignment angle on the Bode plot of the PQ frequency response. We show the utility of this approach through a design example.

A variety of methods exist for the assembly of microscale devices. One such strategy uses microscale force-fit pin insertion to assemble LIGA parts together. One of the challenges associated with this strategy is the handling of small pins which are 170 microns in diameter and with lengths ranging from 500 to 1000 microns. In preparation for insertion, a vibratory micro-pin feeder has been used to successfully singulate and manipulate the pins into a pin storage magazine. This paper presents the development of a deterministic model, simulation tool, and methodology in order to identify and analyze key performance attributes of the vibratory micro-pin feeder system. A brief parametric study was conducted to identify the effects of changing certain system parameters on the bulk behavior of the system, namely the capture rate of the pins. Results showing trends have been obtained for a few specific cases. These results indicate that different system parameters can be chosen to yield better system performance.