Advances in Micromechatronics Promote All-in-One Positioning Modules
Article in Photonics Spectra magazine: Smart motion technologies can reduce system size and simplify integration, enabling smaller photonic instruments with full performance.
Micro Motion Blog
Want to learn more about piezoelectric micro motors, micro stages, motion systems and applications? Here are some observations, articles and papers that we think you’ll find useful. Have a look, and then give us a call with your questions.
Manipulator Design and Operation of a Six-Degree-of-Freedom Handheld Tremor-Canceling Microsurgical Instrument
Technical paper published in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics by Sungwook Yang, R.A. MacLachlan and C.N. Riviere; Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Bringing Image-Guided Laser Surgery to Endoscopy
Article in MDT magazine: In an effort to advance the benefits that lasers can offer to surgeons, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center partnered with a motor and motion control specialist to fabricate an endoscopic laser scalpel that incorporates a remote-controlled beam steering device right in the endoscope head.
Smart electronics reduce energy consumption and improve performance of piezoelectric ultrasonic motors
Article in ECN magazine – Advances in piezo motor driver electronics reduce system power by approximately 40% while maintaining output power (motor speed) and optimal motor performance, and producing smoother, quieter motion.
Smart off-axis absolute position sensor and UTAF piezo motor enable closed-loop control of miniaturized Risley prism pair
Many optical applications require an off-axis sensor configuration to leave a clear aperture for light transmission through the center of a rotating optical element, which may be a polarizing optic, a micro filter wheel, a wedged prism or other component.
Hall effect position sensors with on-chip analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) lend themselves to very tiny systems. Using a novel implementation of these integrated linear position sensors, engineers at New Scale Technologies created a unique off-axis rotary position sensor that delivers absolute angular position information over a standard I2C serial digital interface. This sensor has a wide clear aperture, very small size and low power use. Coupled with New Scale’s tiny piezoelectric motors, it enables highly-miniaturized optical systems.
Micro-Scale Smart Actuator Modules for Imaging Systems
Technical paper Presented at Actuator 2012 by David Henderson, New Scale Technologies – Micro-scale smart actuator modules have recently been commercialized for imaging systems. These smart actuators enable “plug and play” integration, rapid prototyping and faster times to market.
Focus: Industrial strength lens motion with smart phone sensibilities
Article published in Electronic Products – Technology developed for today’s smart phone cameras is being extended for use in non-consumer applications. In this article we discuss how and why phone camera focus systems evolved from voice coil motors to piezo motion systems, and what that means for designers of embedded imaging systems for non-consumer applications.
Endoscopic Laser Scalpel for Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
Technical paper Presented at SPIE Photonics West BiOS conference 2012 by Snehal Patel, Milind Rajadhyaksha, Stefan Kirov, Yongbiao Li and Ricardo Toledo-Crow, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)
Adding automated focus to biometric, medical, and industrial micro cameras
We all are familiar with the consumer digital cameras that are in our pockets, mobile phones and personal computers. Thanks to incredible advances in microelectronics, CMOS image sensors and optics, most of us have a very good camera within reach most of the time.
Now these tiny cameras are inspiring product engineers in “non-consumer” applications—such as biometric identification, medical and diagnostic devices, and machine vision—to make even greater products. In fact, markets for these new applications are projected to grow faster than consumer camera markets over the next few years.
In this article we discuss sensor and lens requirements, compare the M3-F focus module to voice coil motors and stepper motors, and talk about image processing, digital signal processing and other system considerations.
Stationary-fiber rotary probe with unobstructed 360° view for optical coherence tomography
Technical paper in Optics Letters by Shoude Chang, Erroll Murdock, Youxin Mao, Costel Flueraru and John Disano, Inst. for Microstructural Sciences, Nat’l Research Council Canada
Mechatronics Meets Miniaturization
Article published in Design World – by David Henderson and Lisa Schaertl – Here’s what happened in a multi-year collaboration among engineers and scientists at New Scale Technologies, austriamicrosystems (now ams) and TDK-EPC to simultaneously develop the motor, mechanics, electronics and control systems for the M3 micro-mechatronics module.
Continuous Auto Focus for Next Generation Phone Cameras
Technical paper presented at Actuator 2010 by David Henderson, Qin Xu and Daniele Piazza, New Scale Technologies
Low Power Piezo Motion
Article in Design News – Dramatic reductions in voltage and power requirements are making tiny piezo motors and drive systems an interesting option for portable, low-power medical devices. By eliminating the need for the high voltage normally associated with piezo systems, a new piezo motor design from New Scale Technologies enables miniature motion systems that operate on a single 3-V battery without using voltage boost circuits.
Hula-Hoop im Nanometerbereich: Winziger Piezo-Motor sorgt für scharfe Bilder
Article published in Sensor Magazin by Josef Janisch, austriamicrosystems
Piezo motor based medical devices
Article published in Medical Design Technology – This article reviews several solutions in which piezo motor technology is enhancing the capabilities of medical devices. We include a discussion of micro- and nano-fluidic pumps, implantable devices and surgical robots.
A Mobile Robot Driven by Miniature Onboard Motors for Cardiac Intervention
Technical paper presented at the 34th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference by P. Allen, N. Patronik and C. Riviere of the The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, and M. Zenati of the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh
Piezo Motor for Ultra-Thin Auto Focus Cameras
Technical paper presented at Actuator 2008, By David Henderson, Qin Xu and Danielle Piazza, New Scale Technologies. This paper describes the use of the SQUIGGLE motor in AFOZ modules, and presents the company’s newer UTAF motor for ultra-thin autofocus cameras.
Autonomous Positioning System for Implantable Hearing Aids Using Piezo Motors
Technical paper presented at Actuator 2008 by D. Kaltenbacher and A. Schäfer, Fraunhofer Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA) and J. Rodriguez Jorge, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen
Power Packed – Piezoelectric motors: big power, small package
Article in MICROmanufacturing Magazine by Bill Kennedy, Contributing Editor – An excellent introduction to piezoelectric motors. This article presents a background explanation of the piezoelectric effect and its use in several different motor designs, including New Scale’s direct linear drive SQUIGGLE motor as well as MicroMo’s Piezo Wave and Piezo Legs configurations.
Design miniaturisierter Produkte mit piezoelektrischen Motoren
Article in Elektronik Magazin – The combination of small size, low power use and high precision makes the SQUIGGLE motor interesting for applications including mobile phone cameras, electronic locks and latches, medical devices such as endoscope optics and drug pumps, and microfluidic devices including fuel cells and lab-on-a-chip devices. This article describes the operating principle, electrical integration, and applications of SQUIGGLE motors.
