The basic performance of a miniature omnidirectional 6-legged inchworm robot from cm- to μm-scale precise positioning

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the basic performance of a miniature omnidirectional inchworm robot driven by six piezoelectric actuators and a pair of Y-shaped electromagnets using the inchworm principle of motion. In several experiments, we determined the repeatability of positioning via translational motion in 8 directions within a several centimeter range. We also describe the theory of the feedforward plus feedback control method within 1 step motion and its experimental results with 50 nm measuring resolution. These results may be applied in the development of multi-functional precise processing in the biomedical and nanoscience fields.