03/27/2025
By Zhiyong Gu
Date: Thursday, April 3
Time: 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.
Location: Shah Hall, Room 303
Abstract: Millimeter-scale mechanisms, from novel actuators and sensors to insect-inspired flying vehicles, have applications in medical devices, infrastructure inspection, small satellites, and more. At these scales, system optimization is critical, and micro-robot design is often inspired by natural systems, while also providing insights for understanding biological behavior. Here I will discuss two examples – a new kind of piezoelectric motor, and ‘robo-buzzers’ for studying buzz-pollination:
In the sub-gram regime, piezoelectric actuation can be preferable to electromagnetic, but converting linear oscillation into rotation is challenging. Here we describe the ‘Delta Motor’, a 130-mg flexure-based variable-transmission piezoelectric motor whose output can translate and/or rotate at the same frequency as its internal actuators, at much higher rates (up to 30,000 RPM) than typical piezoelectric motors. The Delta Motor’s small size, high speed, and multi-modal capabilities may enable new applications such as miniature drill-presses for surgical or micro-assembly tasks.
Buzz-pollination, in which a pollinator generates vibrations to remove pollen from flowers, is used by over half of bee and plant species but is not yet fully understood. Our project investigates how variations in bee-flower interactions affect pollen release, by studying real bees and developing bee-scale robotic actuators capable of replicating critical aspects of the system. This allows design/operational parameters to be varied controllably both within and beyond what bees demonstrate naturally, to aid understanding of bee behavior and how ‘optimal’ it is.
Biography: Noah T. Jafferis is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at UMass Lowell. He obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University in 2012, and was a Postdoctoral Researcher in Harvard University's Microrobotics Lab. Noah was home-schooled until entering Yale University at the age of 16, where he received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2005. At Princeton, Noah's research included printing silicon from nanoparticle suspensions and the development of a "flying carpet" (traveling-wave based propulsion of a thin plastic sheet). His research at Harvard and UMass Lowell includes the design, fabrication, modeling, scaling, and system optimization of novel millimeter-scale mechanisms and devices such as insect-scale flying robots, piezoelectric linear actuators and rotary actuators, integrated sensors, fans, and thrusters. Some of his other research interests include bio-inspired engineering, 3D integrated circuits, MEMS/NEMS, 3D printing, energy harvesting, and large-area/flexible electronics.