Small Autonomous Robot Actuator (SARA): A Solar-powered Wireless MEMS Gripper

Alexis Moreno

EECS Department
University of California, Berkeley
Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2021-129
May 14, 2021

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2021/EECS-2021-129.pdf

Solar-powered actuation of a 15 mN electrostatic MEMS gripper was demonstrated while wirelessly triggered by IEEE 802.15.4 RF signals. The solar-powered gripper was shown to actuate at a rate of 640 um/s. The complete system is composed of three capacitors and three chips: MEMS gripper, microprocessor/crystal-free radio, and solar cell array/high voltage buffer. Control signals for the electrostatic inchworm motors originate from the 3x2x0.3 mm3 chip with an ARM Cortex-M0 microprocessor and are passed through 119V high voltage buffers. Power for all components, including the crystal-free radio, microprocessor, and 119V buffers, is supplied by a multi-output array of solar cells on a CMOS SOI chip under 200 mW/cm2 irradiation.

Advisor: Kristofer Pister and Ali Niknejad


BibTeX citation:

@mastersthesis{Moreno:EECS-2021-129,
    Author = {Moreno, Alexis},
    Title = {Small Autonomous Robot Actuator (SARA): A Solar-powered Wireless MEMS Gripper},
    School = {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley},
    Year = {2021},
    Month = {May},
    URL = {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2021/EECS-2021-129.html},
    Number = {UCB/EECS-2021-129},
    Abstract = {Solar-powered actuation of a 15 mN electrostatic MEMS gripper was demonstrated while wirelessly triggered by IEEE 802.15.4 RF signals. The solar-powered gripper was shown to actuate at a rate of 640 um/s. The complete system is composed of three capacitors and three chips: MEMS gripper, microprocessor/crystal-free radio, and solar cell array/high voltage buffer. Control signals for the electrostatic inchworm motors originate from the 3x2x0.3 mm3 chip with an ARM Cortex-M0 microprocessor and are passed through 119V high voltage buffers. Power for all components, including the crystal-free radio, microprocessor, and 119V buffers, is supplied by a multi-output array of solar cells on a CMOS SOI chip under 200 mW/cm2 irradiation.}
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Thesis
%A Moreno, Alexis
%T Small Autonomous Robot Actuator (SARA): A Solar-powered Wireless MEMS Gripper
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 2021
%8 May 14
%@ UCB/EECS-2021-129
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2021/EECS-2021-129.html
%F Moreno:EECS-2021-129