Real-time gripping detection for a mechanically actuated microgripper

The possibility of controlled gripping during micromanipulation procedures is widely desired in the fields of microbiology and microassembly. For achieving it, measurement or calculation of the forces exerted by the end segment of the manipulator are required. This work presents a method for detecting the gripping moment for a mechanically actuated silicon microgripper. A procedure that combines measurements with simulation results was developed for calculating the forces exerted by the tips of the gripper. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.