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Development of a thermocapillary robotic tool for micro-manipulation and micro-assembly at the air-water interface: The fluid interface as a new playground for micro-robotics

par Piñan Basualdo, Franco
Président du jury Colinet, Pierre
Promoteur Lambert, Pierre ;Bolopion, Aude
Co-Promoteur Gauthier, Michaël
Publication Non publié, 2022-08-30

Thèse de doctorat

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Résumé :

The current trend towards miniaturization of technological components has increased the need for precise manipulation and assembly of small objects (below a few millimeters). Although many advances have been made, there is still no technique that can satisfy the needs of all industries. In that context, this project proposal is to develop new micro-robotic tools at the free surface of a fluid, a large and mostly flat interface between two fluids. Indeed, at the free surface, it is possible to profit from interfacial phenomena (e.g., Cheerios effect), which become dominant at small scales, for robotic applications (e.g., self-assembly). In particular, we propose a new tool for micro-manipulation at the air-water interface, which is based on interfacial phenomena. The system consists in locally heating the interface with a laser beam, thus triggering a thermocapillary flow from hot to cold areas. Then, by displacing the laser spot on the surface, it is possible to actuate floating objects, which are conveyed by the flow. In order to achieve a precise control, we first studied (experimentally and numerically) the generated flow, evidencing the strong effect of surface contamination. Then, we developed different closed-loop control strategies for the control of objects of diverse sizes and shapes. Indeed, profiting from the local nature of the flow, we achieved, for example, the simultaneous control of multiple spheres (of SI{0.5}{mm} diameter), and the pose control of a multiple-legged robot (of approximately SI{1}{cm}). Moreover, this system was used to autonomously guide the capillary self-assembly of flat objects, which opens the way for micro-manufacturing applications at the free surface. Finally, we have shown how this proposed tool can be combined with other phenomena. In particular, we used this tool to study the formation of 2D magneto-capillary crystals at the air-water interface. Altogether, the main goal of this project is to emphasize the richness of the free surface for the development of micro-robotic applications, and it is our hope to inspire other researchers to explore the possibilities.