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A Linearly Deformable Pneumatic Scalable Microgripper for Universal Mid-air Micromanipulation (Advanced Science  2026) 

The manipulation of microscale components with complex shape like semiconductors, 3D printed microparts, and optical lenses remains challenging due to strong surface forces and limitations of existing methods. A 3D-printed soft pneumatic microgripper capable of rectilinear deformation is presented in this paper. It addresses these challenges through a concave design with two operational modes (snap and continuous) and an integrated adhesion-reducing mask. Fabricated with IP-PDMS two-photon polymerisation 3D printing, the microgripper achieves a 40 μm minimum operation diameter and demonstrates a substrate-free release force as low as 11.1 nN with an adhesion switching ratio of 373 in the normal direction. Combined with rigid alignment, the device enables universal pick-and-place over a range of micro-objects and mid-air transition of ultralight components (∼1.14 μg) in confined spaces. With over 30000 actuation cycles without performance degradation, this scalable design could execute complex manipulation tasks through a multi-gripper system as demonstrated.

A Linearly Deformable Pneumatic Scalable Microgripper for Universal Mid-air Micromanipulation (Advanced Science  2026)

MiGriBot: A miniature parallel robot with integrated gripping for high-throughput micromanipulation (2022)

Abstract—Although robotic micromanipulation using microtweezers has been widely explored, the current manipulation throughput hardly exceeds one operation per second. Increasing the manipulation throughput is thus a key factor for the emergence of robotized microassembly industries. This article presents MiGriBot (Millimeter Gripper Robot), a miniaturized parallel robot with a configurable platform and soft joints, designed to perform pick-and-place operations at the microscale. MiGriBot combines in a single robot the benefits of a parallel kinematic architecture with a configurable platform and the use of soft joints at the millimeter scale. The configurable platform of the robot provides an internal degree of freedom that can be used to actuate microtweezers using piezoelectric bending actuators located at the base of the robot, which notably reduces the robot’s inertia. The soft joints make it possible to miniaturize the mechanism and to avoid friction. These benefits enable MiGriBot to reach a throughput of 10 pick-and-place cycles per second of micrometer-sized objects, with a precision of 1 micrometer. 

Medical Robotics for Contagious Diseases - Best Design (2020)

The Design, Kinematics and Experimental Validation of a Novel Parallel Robot for Two-Fingered Dexterous Manipulation (2019)

Abstract—Two-fingered manipulation robotic systemsare widely used in many applications and notablyat small scales. The commonly employed solution isbased on the attachment of a gripper on a robot.This paper introduces a new eight degrees of freedom(DoF) mechanism intended for two-fingered dexterousmanipulation. The eight DoFs are obtained viaa parallel architecture moved by eight actuators thatare attached to the base of the robot. The noveltyrelies in the use of a 2-DoF configurable platformthat insures two relative rotations of the gripper jaws(opening and twisting) in addition the 6-DoF Cartesianmovements. The paper presents the kinematicsand the design of a proof-of-concept able to grasp,roll, translate and rotate objects in a single compactdesign. A prototype is operated to manipulate andinsert a 2-mm screw. 

A New Seven Degrees-of-Freedom Parallel Robot With a Foldable Platform (2018)

Abstract—This paper presents a new parallel robot with an integrated gripper.The grasping capability of the robot is obtained by a foldableplatform that can be fully controlled by actuators located on thebase of the seven degrees-of-freedom (DoF) parallel structure.This mechanism combines three key specificities in robotics whichare compactness, rigidity, and high blocking forces. The paperpresents the new structure, its kinematic modeling, and an analysisof its workspace and grasping force capabilities. In addition, aprototype is presented and tested in manipulation and insertionoperations, which validates the proposed concept.