The design of microdevices involves several limitations and the corresponding miniaturization is challenging. Innovative approaches and more intelligent structures are required to develop compact devices and facilitate miniaturization. A multistable device is developed in this work. The miniaturization of this device is pushed to the limit by using a single actuator for switching in different directions and by excluding sensors while keeping positioning accuracy. This work is published in Frontiers in Mechanical engineering (doi: 10.3389/fmech.2022.825470).
The multistable microsystem is developed to realize the accurate positioning on the microscale by using a single actuator, without any positioning sensors. The microsystem has a compact design and is fabricated on a monolithic chip based on Micro-ElectroMechmechanica System (MEMS) fabrication process. The mobile part in the multistable microsystem can be maintained in several stable positions at rest with accurate intermediate steps and a high stability margin at each position. Switching between stable positions can be performed in both directions on one axis by using a single actuator. Using the mechanical intelligence encoded in the internal mechanisms, the mobile part position can be switched one step forward or back to the initial position through a single activation of the actuator. The working principle and the operation of fabricated prototypes are demonstrated in the following video.
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