The technology barrier that micromanipulation presents to many emerging fields requires that control and assembly issues in ultra-high precision motion control be addressed. In this article, we first discuss the important differences that exist between microassembly and traditional automatic assembly. We then overview ongoing efforts in microassembly and approaches being pursued. The use of vision-based feedback has been identified as one of the more promising approaches for controlling the microassembly process, and the field of visual servoing is discussed. Applications of the field to micropositioning are demonstrated. The importance of force in assembly is obvious, and developments in force sensing at the scales required are also discussed. As microassembly matures and robust, economical micromanipulation strategies are developed. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) designers will envision a myriad of new hybrid MEMS devices previously thought impossible to manufacture.
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