A Pneumatically-Actuated Microgrippers for Biological Manipulation

Recent developments in the functionality of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), particularly for medical and biological applications, have led to an increasing demand for micromanipulation devices. This paper describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a family of pneumatically driven microgrippers which can be scaled to handle millimeter to nanometer compliant and non-compliant objects, with the potential to control gripping forces. In contrast to conventional actuation methods including piezoelectric, magnetic and thermal, pneumatic actuation has the advantages of large power density, the potential for force control, low cost and simplicity. The main design challenges are to provide control over the opening and closing displacements and the gripping force.