In Quest of a Reliable Method of Characterization of the Mechanical Properties of Silicon Micro-Robots

During the last years some new MEMS-based Silicon Micro-Robots have been developed at Sapienza University of Rome. The samples have shown very promising characteristics. However, a huge amount of work had and will have to be done in order to define their real application range. This goal could be partially achieved thanks to several activities that the Authors of the present paper will herein describe. Among them: SEM and EDX Analysis of the silicon microrobot prototypes, FEA simulation, in-SEM nanomanipulation of the samples, the latter including the activity of modification of the monitoring and control system of the adopted in-SEM nano-manipulators, which the present paper will be chiefly dedicated to.