Multilayer microhydraulic actuators with speed and force configurations (2021)

nature.com

59 points·_justinfunk··8 comments

Here is a talk by CEO of the company trying to commercialize this technology: https://youtu.be/wPNTPmAIqf4

Wow, thanks for finding this!

I barely understand it, but it looks very interesting!

It's a small (mm2 scale,) high precision, high efficiency stepper motor, fabricated as both rotary and linear devices.

Looks like a big deal to me with many potential applications. A lot of optics applications come to mind, although they're pitching semiconductor manufacturing. The submission link provides several videos (wmv format, for some reason.)

I wonder how large you can make these. Also is the linear movement limited to one direction? Like could I make one that can move north, south, west and east?

> Also is the linear movement limited to one direction?

You would need to know more about how the mechanism works (how the droplets and the circuits controlling their surface tension are interleaved,) to determine whether 2 axis control is possible in a single device. However, I don't see any reason two single axis devices couldn't be stacked to achieve 2 axes, as is done routinely with conventional machines.

Wow, so what's the mechanism here? It seems like layered or nested stepper motors, with the magnets and coils replaced by liquid surface tension and electrostatic impulse to move droplet from one electrode to another?

@dang please edit the link to remove the anchor... it basically ends up scrolling to the bottom of the page.

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