Home
										Prof. Martin L. Culpepper Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139 Phone: 617.452.2395 Fax: 617.812.0384
Home	Research			Teaching				Miscellaneous
	Overview	Awards	Staff	2.72: Elements of Mechanical Design	2.76: Multi-scale System Design and Mfg.	2.75s: Precision Engineering	2.90s: Compliant Mechanisms	Contact Info	Links	Design tools	UG Helpmate

The purpose of our research is to generate the knowledge required to synthesize, model and manufacture new six axis, nano-, micro- and macro-scale nanopositioners. These nanopositioners are relevant to (a) instruments that enable us to measure/understand, and (b) equipment that enables us to manipulate/affect, that which happens at the micrometer and nanometer scales. The long-term impact of this work is aimed at increasing the type/pace of scientific discoveries (via instrumentation) and the pace/quality with which these discoveries may be converted into tangible goods (via manufacturing equipment). We focus on problems wherein performance requirements and/or geometric constraints demand unusually small machine envelopes. For example in vivo biomedical devices require mm-scale devices. Nanomanufacturing equipment requires devices that may only obtain viable speed, cost and stability requirements if they are centimeters to 10s of nanometers in size.

We utilize the principles of mechanical design, precision engineering, applied physics and manufacturing – in combination with invention – to synthesize new machine element concepts; and the models, tools and fabrications processes that enable their creation:
(1) Physics-based concept synthesis tools that enable engineers to create many new machine architecture concepts, compare them, and then select the best architecture.
(2) Compliant structure/bearing and actuator concepts that enable the conversion of machine architecture concepts into functional machines with nm-level resolution.
(3) Micro- and nanofabrication processes that enable the creation and integration of the machine elements into nanopositioning systems.

We draw case studies fromareas that are of high scientific and/or economic impact. At present, the scientific and practical applications of this work are focused on the following fields:

Nano-scale science and engineering: - Nanopositioning - Nanoinstrumentation - Nanomechanical devices Ex: CNT-based mechanisms [Chang]

Precision engineering: - Compliant machine elements - Exact constraint design theory - Mechanism design Ex: HexFlex Nanopositioner [NSF]

Biomedical - Micro-optical scanners - 3D invivo tissue imaging - Two-photon endoscopy Ex: Cancer detection [NIH]

© MIT PCS and PSDAM Labs 2001-2007