Open Architecture Systems for Nano-Micro Manipulators Working in a Cooperative Regime; Acronym: SIDERCO NMM ICT

The concepts that nanotechnology is confronted with today, in manufacturing with atomic precision equipments, devices, mechanisms and instruments with measurements smaller than 100 nm, are based on knowledge of the materials and structures at different metric scales. The properties of the materials and structures in which one or all spatial dimensions are nanoscopic (1–100 nm), are completely different from the properties of the structures which contain small molecules or are macroscopic in all dimensions. The fundamental behaviour of the structures at nanometric level is less known and understood. Optimization, design and manufacturing of the microelectromechanic systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanic systems (NEMS), of nanomechanisms and carbon nanotubes, as well as that of nanostructured materials with controlled properties need knowledge of theories and computing methods, based on classical mechanics, Newtonian mechanics, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, and so forth.
With the aim of increasing performance and the area of applicability of the real time control system the need arises to acquire new knowledge in the field of image based control and include these in a system fro commanding manipulator robots with application in micro – manipulation. Robots equipped with artificial sight are capable of adapting to changes of the work environment and avoiding collisions. Elaborating instruments for the analysis and design of control systems based on visual feedback will have a significant impact on the integration of nano – manipulators into flexible micro – manipulation cells.

Scientific research and technical applications mainly consist in developing and conducting experiments of three open systems for real time control of nano-micromanipulators for nano-micro handling and positioning: (1) open systems for real time control of five degrees of freedom nanomanipulators: SIDERCO D; (2) developing new methods for approaching by mirror movement and constant distance tracking between the cooperating end-effectors: SIDERCO C; (3) developing strategies for image features selection and tracking and elaboration of new algorithms for image features tracking with motion recovery: SIDERCO V. Based on these three systems a forth system SIDERCO DCV will be conceived which will allow the development new concepts and methods for nano/micro positioning, nano and micro particles handling, handling and assembling in nano-microelectromechanical field (NMEMS): SIDERCO DCV.
The use of SIDERCO open systems for real-time control will allows for achieving measurements, experiments, checks and tests for: (1) experimental determination of mechanical properties of nitrure silicium thin layers, carbure of silicium and so on, and of the multi-level resulted structures; (2) experimental determination of mechanical contact – pressure contact and of the elasto – plactic deformation on nanometric areas; (3) experimental determination and evaluation of mono and polimolecular levels for lubricant on solid areas; (4) achievement of a mechanical-electrical constitutive model for carbon nanotubes; (5) elaboration of constitutive models for the electro-magnetic characteristic of CNTs, nano/micro welding and carbon nanotubes assembly in complex structures; (6) evaluation of the hysteretic behaviour and of the power dissipation capacity of CNTs; (7) experimental testing of insulated carbon nano-objects or nanotubes for different actions
PROJECT ACTIONS.
Basic actions in Robotics: (1) Development of real-time open control systems for nano manipulators with 5 degree of freedom: SIDERCO D; (2) Development of new methods for nano-manipulators working in a cooperative regime SIDERCO C; (3) Development of strategies of selection and tracking of descriptors from images and generation of certain algorithms with motion reconstruction: SIDERCO V; (4) Development of new concepts and methods for positioning at nano/micro scale, manipulation of nano and micro particles, manipulations in the NMEMS field: SIDERCO DCV; (5) Development of new gripper control system for approach, mirror motion and tracking while maintaining a constant distance between cooperating end-effectors SIDERCO C; (6) Development of segmentation methods applicable to the image based feedback, by conceiving neural techniques and by elaborating algorithms based on hyper complex numbers; (7) Development of strategies for selection and tracking of the image descriptors by determining the image descriptors correlated to goal positions and by generating algorithms for image descriptors tracking and motion retracing; (8) Development of new micro-grippers and using these with nano-manipulators; (9) Development of new micro and nano-actuation systems on electrochemical, electro thermal and electromagnetic bases; (10) Using intelligent materials (SMA, magneto – rheological fluids, etc.) in developing new micro – grippers / nano – micro actuators; (11) Development of new linear modular microstructures movable on 1-3 axes with nanometric resolution for the movement control; (12) Computational pre – design of SEM manipulator in order to select the optimal configuration, based on free space manipulation; (13) Achieving an experimental model for cooperative control, in real time, of the 2-4 nano-manipulators based on the concepts and models previously devised.
Actions in controlling the dissipated energy and the vibro – acoustic systems: (1) High precision positioning methods, at high speed, through reduction and compensation of the dynamic vibrations induced by the system movement using the method of dynamic inversion. Use of active damping for the NMEMS nano-positioning; (2) Development of new methods for the vibro-acoustic control in order to increase precision and reliability of NMEMS applications. New semi active control strategies for dynamic systems with magnetorheological dissipaters in order to diminish the structural vibrations of the nano-micro-electromechanical systems.
Using SIDERCO real time control open systems for measurements, experiments, investigation and testing.
Actions in the field of CNTs, multilayered and nano–objects: (1) Implementating an uniaxial robust constitutiv model to describe the superelasticity property (high strength to fracture and reversibility to large strains) of the carbon nanotubes; (2) Computational preparing of mechanic-electric experimental sets; (3) Design and computational simulation of the functioning of simple systems for carbon nanotubes manipulation; (4) Computational simulations of experiments sets in order to determine the mechanical and electrical properties of a single carbon nanotube, with one or more walls; (5) Testing program of some nano-objects (or detached nanotubes) at different stresses; (6) Evaluation program of damping for nano-objects (or carbon nano-tubes); (7)Study and research for evaluation of hysteretic behaviour and of energy dissipation capacity of the CNTs; (8) Qualitative and quantitative indicators for damping evaluation of CNTs; (9) Study and research in order to develop a constitutive mechano-electrical model for the carbo-nano-tubes.
Actions in the field of tribology: (1) Determining experimentally the mechanical contact - contact pressure and the elastoplastic deformation on nanometric areas. Study of the tribological processes on micro- and nano-contacts in order to characterise them and to increase their reliability. Study of the micro- and nano-contact under simultaneously acting normal force and relative displacement; (2) Determining experimentally and evaluating the mono and polimolecular lubricant layers on solid surfaces.

Robotics, namo-manipulators, real time control systems, open architecture systems, nano-positioning, objects recognition , CNTs, thin layers , multilayered structures, magnetorheological dissipaters, micro- and nano-contacts

Skills and expertise which can expand or develop on the objectives and actions of the project proposal.

Any work corresponding to the objective and actions of the proposed project or additional workpackages as proposed by himself and decided together with the project manager.

Research institutes/universities with scientific research activity on the topic of the project which are willing to work together on a multidisciplinary area to reach new approaches.

Large companies which are interested in experimenting with and applying the results obtained through the completion of the project are of great interest as partners.
Industrial end-user for user needs analysis and testing.
Partners who can expand or develop on the objectives and actions of the project proposal are invited.

Yes