Nano Robotic Manipulation and Assembly Using an Atomic Force Microscope 

 Ning Xi

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA 

Abstract

Nanotechnology will allow us to build devices enormously smaller than before and will bring fundamental changes to the disciplines such as engineering, chemistry, medicine, biology, and physics.  The research in nano manipulation and nano assembly is tremendously important because most physical magnitudes characterizing nano scale systems significantly differ from those familiar in macro, meso, and micro systems.   The main problem of nanomanipulation and nanoassembly using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is its lack of real-time visual feedback during manipulations. Fortunately, this problem has been overcome by our recently developed augmented reality system which includes a "Videolized" AFM imaging system and a haptic feedback system. The “Videolized" AFM means that the operator through movie like AFM images can monitor the changes of nano environment during the nanomanipulation in real time. The "Videolized" AFM is achieved by locally updating the AFM image in real-time based on the interactive force information obtained in real-time by AFM during the manipulation. The augmented reality system can provide both "videolized" real-time visual feedback and real-time force feedback. An operator can feel the interactive forces and observe the real-time changes of the nano environment during the nano manipulations. A computer controlled nano assembly workcell has also been developed to utilize the real time visual and force information to achieve an automated nano assembly. In this presentation, the theoretical foundation as well as the development of the augmented reality enhanced AFM will be discussed. The experimental results of using the augmented reality enhanced AFM for the manipulation and assembly of nano particles, nano wires, DNA molecules, and nano sensors will also be presented. 

Biography

Ning Xi received his D.Sc. degree in Systems Science and Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in December, 1993, and B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Currently, he is the John D. Ryder professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan State University. Xi received the Best Paper Award in IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in August, 1995. He also received the Best Paper Award in the 1998 Japan-USA Symposium on Flexible Automation.  Xi was awarded the first Early Academic Career Award by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society in May, 1999. In addition, he is also a recipient of US National Science Foundation CAREER Award.  Currently, his research interests include robotics, micro/nano manufacturing and devices, and nano sensing and manipulation in biomedical systems.

利用原子力显微镜制造和操作纳米机器人 

密歇根州大学

电子与计算机工程系

席宁教授

美国密歇根州，东兰辛，48824 

摘要 

纳米技术的出现不仅将会使人们能够制造出越来越精细的装置，而且也将促发工程学、化学、医学、生物学与物理学等这些学科产生根本性的变革。纳米级系统所体现出的特性与大量常见的宏观、中观和微观系统极具差别，因此对该类系统的制造和操作进行研究非常重要。缺乏实时视觉反馈是在运用原子力显微镜（AFM）制造和操作纳米机器人时遇到的主要问题。幸运的是，该问题已经被我们最近开发的增广现实系统所解决，该系统包含一个“可视化”AFM成像系统和一个 触觉反馈系统。该“可视化”AFM成像系统意味着，工作人员只要通过视频（如AFM图像）就可以实时监控纳米操纵过程中外部环境的变化。AFM“可视化”的工作原理是通过由AFM实时获取交互作用力的信息对AFM图像进行实时局部更新。增广现实系统可以同时提供“可视化”视觉反馈和实时力反馈。操纵人员在进行纳米操纵过程中可以对交互作用力进行感知并对纳米环境的变化进行实时观测。我们同样也开发了由计算机控制的纳米制造工作单元，利用实时图像和力学信息实现纳米装配的自动化。这里将介绍基于增广现实技术AFM的基本原理和设计过程。同时本次报告也还将对利用基于增广现实技术AFM来操纵和装配纳米粒子、纳米电路、DNA分子与纳米传感器的实验结果进行详细介绍。 

简历

本科毕业于北京航空学院电气工程专业，1993年获得美国华盛顿大学系统科学与数学专业博士学位。现为美国密西根大学电气与计算机工程系教授。在1995年8月的IEEE/RSJ 国际智能机器人与系统会议，及1998年的日美形变自动控制讨论会上均获得了最佳论文奖。1999年5月获得IEEE机器人与自动化学会颁发的青年科学家奖。此外他还得到了美国国家自然科学基金会CAREER奖。目前其研究方向包括机器人、微/纳制造与设计与生物系统中的纳米传感与操作。