Announcements - xyz piezo micromanipulator
Low cost piezo actuator V4
We are assembling a new prototype of the low cost piezo actuator. The improvement is higher density of piezo buzzers to increase the range of this device. |
Low cost piezo-based actuator ready!
Applications: biology, micro 3D printer, microelectronics, etc... The actuator alone is estimated at only 2$/piece It is a linear micromanipulator that gives you sub-micron precision. It allows you to make small displacement in space. We estimated the cost of electronics to drive it at less than 50$. These things go on the market for thousands of dollars. Contact SENSORICA is you want to buy this prototype. See the document below if you want to make it yourself. |
ENGAGE grant with McGill was awarded
Project title: Development of new micropositioner systems compatible with high resolution optical microscopy Start date: 2014/09/01
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Piezo motor-based tilt stage under testing
Testing of the first prototype of the new tilt stage, by Antonio and Felipe. The casing was 3D printed in our lab. The tilt is +/- 4o with 0.0002o steps. |
The Mantis goes to market
Once we'll receive the payment for this piezo we'll need to go through a redistribution. We still need to work on the value equation, but this will be a great experience. See also Value Accounting for the Piezo. This morning we performed a first demo at the University of Montreal. The application is stimulation of the nervous system of mice. The researcher needs a piezo positioner to position a needle to stimulate the nerves on the face of the animal, while monitoring neuronal activities. It turns out that there is also a chance to supply a Mosquito too, because there is value in knowing exactly how much force is applied during the stimulation to trigger that neuronal activity. We believe that proof of concept experiments can be performed with our LED Mosquito, which is already functional at Phil's lab. We will propose a collaborative project in order to help this professor to write a good proposal, in order to get the funding to purchase an entire Scientific Instrument System (which includes a Mosquito, a Mantis, and other accessories already made by us). Other benefits can follow from this collaboration. In January we'll perform another demo at University of Montreal. At this moment, we are having serious discussions about how to insure quality of manufacturing, distribution and quality of services. This is a new reality for SENSORICA. We have demonstrated that an open value network can innovate. Now we need to make it sustainable! This new experience also helps us identify new types of services that closed companies cannot offer. Our value proposition is just getting better. |
The 2 axis Mantis ready to produce data at McGill University
In the two videos below we can see our piezo driver MMP - S1 2ax being used at McGill University (Dep. of Physiology) by Felipe (in the picture), in a real experiment.
The video shows a myofibril sample in caught in between 2 glass needles. the experiment is filmed under 60X magnification on an inverted microscope. The striations on the sample are on the order of a couple of microns. This can give an idea of the precision of the motion. Only the upper needle is connected to the piezo actuator. The rest of the motion is due to environmental vibrations.
On the computer screen we see the traces of 2 glass microneedles captured by a linear array CCD, through an inverted microscope at 100X. The structure on the left is connected to the piezo. We make steps of one microns each.
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New push for commercializing the piezo
Sensoricans in Montreal are now rallying behind behind the piezo project in a new push for commercialization. We are developing a new modular design suitable for multiple applications. SENSORICA badly needs a commercial success case in order to demonstrate that our value network model can close the loop from design to distribution and service, to become self-sustainable.
Electronics - the DriverThe design is finished and parts have been ordered. We now need to assemble the driver. Piezo Driver board (designed by Jonathan) Mechanics - the ActuatorAfter some initial problems with the 3D printing process Daniel got the dimensions right. We now have a design of that we can print on demand, and a base from which we can customize and modify. |
Piezo driver based on the PDu100 installed at McGill University
Yesterday we successfully installed and tested the piezo driver at Dilson's lab, McGill University, Dep of Physiology. It was tested using Dilson's piezo actuators (which uses a piezo tube from BPO). A glass needle was attached to the piezo actuator and its tip, only a few microns in diameter, was observed with a NIKON inverted microscope at 60X. The entire device responded very well to the motion commands and its stability (keeping its position) was adequate. This piezo driver was assembled by Antonio. It can drive one piezo tube in 2 axis or two piezo tubes in one axis each, independently. The driver takes in an analog voltage from a DAQ card. We have a product! |