Strategies in Automatic Microhandling

Automation is the key step for successful application of micromanipulation and microhandling technologies. Due to the challenging environment microhandling has to deal with, the success of automation in microhandling is rather limited today. This paper firstly discusses the important measures that are necessary to achieve automatic microhandling, and then reviews the challenges and status of microhandling strategies. Based on the research activities and results of the author, the paper then discusses the approaches often used in the robotics and automation field, their merits and limitations, and new concepts of replacing key processes of automatic microhandling using physical process to make automatic microhandling a more accessible technology.