I barely understand it, but it looks very interesting!
topspin 43 days ago [-]
It's a small (mm2 scale,) high precision, high efficiency stepper motor, fabricated as both rotary and linear devices.
Looks like a big deal to me with many potential applications. A lot of optics applications come to mind, although they're pitching semiconductor manufacturing. The submission link provides several videos (wmv format, for some reason.)
DonnyV 42 days ago [-]
I wonder how large you can make these. Also is the linear movement limited to one direction? Like could I make one that can move north, south, west and east?
topspin 42 days ago [-]
> Also is the linear movement limited to one direction?
You would need to know more about how the mechanism works (how the droplets and the circuits controlling their surface tension are interleaved,) to determine whether 2 axis control is possible in a single device. However, I don't see any reason two single axis devices couldn't be stacked to achieve 2 axes, as is done routinely with conventional machines.
43 days ago [-]
hydrogen7800 43 days ago [-]
Wow, so what's the mechanism here? It seems like layered or nested stepper motors, with the magnets and coils replaced by liquid surface tension and electrostatic impulse to move droplet from one electrode to another?
latchkey 43 days ago [-]
@dang please edit the link to remove the anchor... it basically ends up scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Looks like a big deal to me with many potential applications. A lot of optics applications come to mind, although they're pitching semiconductor manufacturing. The submission link provides several videos (wmv format, for some reason.)
You would need to know more about how the mechanism works (how the droplets and the circuits controlling their surface tension are interleaved,) to determine whether 2 axis control is possible in a single device. However, I don't see any reason two single axis devices couldn't be stacked to achieve 2 axes, as is done routinely with conventional machines.