Solid State Sample Handling with Amplified Piezo Actuators

Abstract

Honeybee Robotics has developed a novel, solid-state sample handling technology that uses piezo actuated flexures to transport sample via asymmetric vibration. This inertial approach to sample manipulation is highly scalable to move arbitrary quantities of sample, handles samples with heterogenous properties such as particle density and shape, decouples mechanism size from electrical power requirements, and is highly robust to severe environments (vacuum, cryogenic, high temperature, high radiation). This paper describes the physics behind the transport mechanism, the design and analysis of the prototype system, results from prototype testing, and a discussion of potential applications of the technology.