Micro Robots and Teleoperators (NOT PUBLISHED)

Robots bring to mind and are, for the most part, electromechanical systems on the scale of human beings. Robotic systems larger than humans are also available for heavy work and handling large parts. However, robotic systems significantly smaller than humans have all but been ignored. Despite the many intrinsic advantages micro-mechanical systems have in handling small parts, few systems have been built; largely because of the difficulties involved in making small mechanical parts, motors, and sensors. New fabrication methods, including the ability to anisotropically etch small structures from silicon, are making micro-mechanical parts practical, and perhaps even inexpensive. These micro mechanical systems are not only applicable to a broad range of problems but present many intriguing challenges and problems in their own right.