Electromagnetic Machines Which Utilize Microgeometry Field Structures

摘要

The Microfield Project at the Center for Engineering Design was originallymotivated by a quest to understand how to improve the performance of actuators in demanding applications such as robots and artificial limbs. It was determined that by making the internal interactive elements of the system (actuator) numerous, closely packed, and very small (on the order of one to ten microns), sizeable force outputs and power densities could be produced, with improvements in impedance characteristics over conventional actuators. A by-product of these studies was the generation of a number of very interesting spin-off applications for microelectromechanical systems in general, including mechanical sensors, optical devices, actuators, and chemical sensors. Thus, for the Microfield Project, multiple exploratory investigations, both experimental and analytical, were undertaken aimed at: (1) understanding important issues necessary for the systematic design, analysis, fabrication, and testing of micro electro-mechanical sensors and actuators, and (2) establishing the feasibility of various concepts. (rrh)