Tetherless Microgrippers With Transponder Tags

Abstract

We describe the concept of utilizing tetherless microstructured grippers with attached silicon (Si)-based chips for event-based gripping. Grippers were fabricated using photolithography, and Si chips were bonded to them using a solder-based directed assembly approach. Because we propose the use of these grippers as tags or to attach electronic devices to various surfaces, we also attached commercial microtransponder chips to the grippers as a specific example of an integrated and commercially available electronic device. After assembly, we released grippers with integrated chips from the substrate. Grippers closed upon exposure to heat (>; 40°C) or specific chemical environments that softened or degraded a polymer trigger layer incorporated within each hinge. We investigated gripping capabilities of chip-carrying grippers on woven textile fibers and a live caterpillar; these demonstrations were achieved without any attached wires or electrical power. The autonomous thermochemical closure response of the grippers coupled with convenient and secure attachment of wireless microtransponders is a step toward the creation of smart event-based gripping platforms with communication modules.