Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Microscopic robots that sense, think, act, and compute.

Science robotics·2025

Same author

Electrokinetic propulsion for electronically integrated microscopic robots.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Electronically configurable microscopic metasheet robots.

Nature materials·2024

Same author

High energy density picoliter-scale zinc-air microbatteries for colloidal robotics.

Science robotics·2024

Same author

Machine learning without a processor: Emergent learning in a nonlinear analog network.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024

Same author

Colloidal robotics.

Nature materials·2023

Same journal

Laser as a toolbox for wood processing and functionalization.

MRS bulletin·2026

Same journal

Optically active spins in van der Waals materials and devices.

MRS bulletin·2026

Same journal

Optically addressable molecular spin qubits.

MRS bulletin·2026

Same journal

On-demand biofilm removal by shape-memory triggered local changes in surface topography.

MRS bulletin·2026

Same journal

Structure and composition of grain boundaries and their impact on functional properties of energy materials.

MRS bulletin·2026

Same journal

Defect phases beyond grain boundaries.

MRS bulletin·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators

Published on: April 25, 2020

Materials for electronically controllable microactuators.

Michael F Reynolds¹, Marc Z Miskin¹

¹Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.

|March 4, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Microscale actuators are advancing rapidly, enabling new microrobotic systems. This review analyzes their performance, revealing fundamental limits and tradeoffs for future development.

Keywords:

Actuation Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS)Robotics

More Related Videos

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Published on: May 25, 2016

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Published on: November 8, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators

Published on: April 25, 2020

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Published on: May 25, 2016

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Published on: November 8, 2019

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Micro-robotics
Actuator Technology

Background:

Recent advances in materials science have enabled microscale actuators.
These actuators are compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) voltages and lithographic patterning.
Applications include micro-cilia, cell-sized origami, and autonomous microrobots.

Purpose of the Study:

To overview the state-of-the-art in microscale actuators.
To examine the interrelationships between key performance metrics (force, speed, power, efficiency, durability).
To identify fundamental limits and tradeoffs in microactuator design.

Main Methods:

Literature review of existing microactuator technologies.
Analysis of performance figures of merit.
Examination of energy conversion mechanisms (electrical, chemical, mechanical).

Main Results:

Identified fundamental performance limits and tradeoffs for various microactuator classes.
Demonstrated the coupling between electrical energy, chemical energy, and mechanical work.
Highlighted the interconnectedness of force output, response time, power consumption, efficiency, and durability.

Conclusions:

Microactuator technology is a rapidly growing field with unexplored design spaces.
Understanding performance limits is crucial for future actuator development.
These microactuators show promise for sophisticated, electronically integrated microrobotic systems.