Higuchi Toshiro

The University of Tokyo | Todai · Department of Precision Engineering

This study aims to verify whether the three-dimensional internal information acquisition system we have developed can be applied successfully to the microstructures of consecutively precision-machined biological samples, and to those of metallic samples. Therefore, this study mainly deals with biological hard tissue samples like bones. In this pape...

Small particles scattered at the bottom of a water-filled rectangular container align at specific locations when the container is laterally oscillated at specific frequencies. This paper proposes a batch manipulation method of submillimeter-scale particles utilizing this unique phenomenon. First, behavior of water in the laterally oscillated contai...

This paper introduces an approach for manipulating bodily self-consciousness, in particular, senses of body ownership and illusory self-touch by using a robotic/haptic technology. This study especially focuses on the rubber hand illusion (RHI). In the classic RHI paradigm, an invisible participant's hand and a visible fake rubber hand are manually...

Experimental manipulations of body ownership have indicated that multisensory integration is central to forming bodily self-representation. Voluntary self-touch is a unique multisensory situation involving corresponding motor, tactile and proprioceptive signals. Yet, even though self-touch is frequent in everyday life, its contribution to the forma...

This paper deals with a force estimation method by using driving current of a piezoelectric actuator. Because the size of sensors sometimes restricts the size of a whole device, a sensor-less control is preferable to build a device compactly. A mechanical clamp device including the actuator was represented as an equivalent electric circuit by apply...

This paper introduces a new type of linear actuator using the electromagnetic attractive force, which enables a submillimeter stroke. In general, actuation by the electromagnetic attractive force causes a tradeoff problem between the thrust force and the stroke because the thrust force depends on the gap between the electromagnet and the armature;...

This paper reports a development of a transparent planar electrostatic actuator, which is useful for constructing interactive human–computer interfaces on flat panel displays. The actuator is a pair of transparent plastic films with strip electrodes in three-phase connections. Half of the electrodes in each film are X electrodes, and the rest are Y...

This paper describes the design concept, operating principle, analytical design, fabrication of a functional prototype, and experimental performance verification of a novel wobble motor with a XY compliant mechanism driven by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. With the aim of realizing a SMA based motor which could generate bidirectional high-torque m...

Previous electroadhesive climbing robots generally employed typical electromagnetic motors, which spoiled some of the advantages of electroadhesion such as it being light, thin and flexible. To improve these, an integration of electrostatic actuation and adhesion was utilized in this work. By using FEM analyses, the present paper analysed the effec...

Tales of ghosts, wraiths, and other apparitions have been reported in virtually all cultures. The strange sensation that somebody is nearby when no one is actually present and cannot be seen (feeling of a presence, FoP) is a fascinating feat of the human mind, and this apparition is often covered in the literature of divinity, occultism, and fictio...

A process and apparatus for rapidly producing an emulsion and microcapsules in a simple manner is provided wherein a dispersion phase is ejected from a dispersion phase-feeding port toward a continuous phase flowing in a microchannel in such a manner that flows of the dispersion phase and the continuous phase cross each other, thereby obtaining mic...

This paper introduces an impact drive mechanism (IDM) that utilizes the rapid contraction property of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire. In this study, possible structures for an SMA-wire-based IDM actuator are investigated, and a prototype actuator comprising a main body, an inertia body, an SMA wire, and a bias spring is developed. To verify the appl...

This paper presents the conceptual design, operating principle, simplified geometric model-based parametric analysis, experimental driving characterization, and working performance verification of a rotary actuator using shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. To achieve the research goal for developing a bidirectional SMA rotary actuator with high-torque...

Electrostatic film actuator is a thin, lightweight and flexible actuator composed of two plastic films with fine-pitched electrodes embedded in them. In this paper, we report a novel driving method for the actuator, in which the electrodes in one film (the slider film) are pre-charged with DC high voltages, and the slider film is driven by AC volta...

This paper reports the modeling and analysis of a linear resonant electrostatic induction motor, with an imbalance in capacitance taken into consideration. The motor is an asynchronous motor consisting of film-type stator and slider with three-phase electrodes, driven by three-phase voltage applied to the stator. The slider electrodes are connected...

This paper examines how body temperature is affected during manipulation of human body ownership. In this study, the change of hand temperature is measured when rubber hand illusion (RHI) is induced by using a classic RHI paradigm and active self-touch which we have proposed in our previous studies. Based on the results, this paper discusses the in...

This paper proposes an electrostatic linear induction motor resonating electrically with piezoelectric transducers. The motor is based on an electrostatic film motor composed of two thin plastic films containing fine pitch three-phase electrodes, which face each other across a short gap. The motor requires three-phase high voltages on the electrode...

A cycloidal wobble motor driven by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires is proposed. In realizing a motor driving mechanism well known as a type of reduction system, a cycloidal gear mechanism is utilized. It facilitates the achievement of bidirectional continuous rotation with high-torque capability, based on its high efficiency and high reduction ratio...

Demands of precision moulds with complicated microstructures for digital devices such as DVD pick-up system, and medical devices such as micro-TAS and solar optics, etc. are increasing. To enhance precision, the structured moulds must be polished after grinding or cutting in order to improve the surface roughness. In this paper, a two-dimensional l...

In the previous research, the integration of electrostatic adhesion and actuation was proposed as a promising technique for climbing robots and proved by several prototypes. However, the effects of design parameters on the adhesive and driving forces, considering the breakdown voltage, are still unclear. Using FEM simulation, this paper investigate...

Previous electroadhesive climbing robots generally employed typical electromagnetic motors, which spoiled some of the advantages of electroadhesion such as it being light, thin and flexible. To improve these, an integration of electrostatic actuation and adhesion was utilized in this work. By using FEM analyses, the present paper analysed the effec...

This paper discusses high speed and non-contact transportation of a steel disk using magnetic levitation and feedforward tilt control. In magnetic levitation systems for handling a thin plate, horizontal slip due to weak horizontal restoring force limits the transportation performance. Tilt control can improve the performance as it can prevent the...

This paper reports a 2-DOF electrostatic actuator with all electrodes made with transparent materials. The actuator is composed of two plastic films, a stator film and a slider film. The two films are sectioned into four-by-four checkerboard patterns, whose squares include fine-pitched strip electrodes arranged in orthogonal directions. A pair of t...

Our previous study has proposed a novel approach with a robotic/haptic technology to tactile rubber hand illusion (TRHI) paradigm in order to open new discussions about the manipulation of human body-parts ownership. The results demonstrated that the use of master-slave system can cause the TRHI, enabling a unique condition-active self-touch. As an...

The present invention relates to a method of measuring and evaluating rigidity of a target object or mechanical output, such as force, displacement, and mechanical energy generated by a piezoelectric actuator and applied to the target object, according to only a measured value of electric quantity without use of a mechanical sensor, and a method of...

Polishing force condition plays a key role in the ultraprecision finishing of micro-optics because it strongly affects the polishing performance. In this paper, a novel polishing force control system is developed to improve the polishing stability. It is proposed for the first time to precisely control polishing force in real-time and has a simple...

In this paper, a novel magnetostrictive vibrator with a unique and integrated design is proposed and developed by using a kind of iron–cobalt alloy (Permendur). Permendur is a giant magnetostrictive material (GMM) with magnetostriction exceeding 70 ppm, Young's modulus of 210 GPa, high relative permeability and sufficient force for actuation, which...

Demands of precision molds with complicated microstructures for digital devices such as DVD pick-up system, and medical devices such as μ-TAS and solar optics etc. are increasing. To enhance precision, the structured molds must be polished after grinding or cutting in order to improve the surface roughness. In this paper, a two-dimensional low freq...

This paper introduces an fMRI-compatible master-slave system which enables users to perform both the stroking and tapping their own back on the bed in MRI room. Also, the application to neuroscience experiment is challenged, actually conducting an OBE experiment in normal environment using the prototype. The experimental results imply that the prop...

This paper describes a general theory for the characteristics of voltage-induction-type electrostatic motors (VITEMs). VITEMs are one of macro-scale electrostatic film motors with multi-phase electrodes on both the sliders and the stators. The motor drives synchronously without voltage feeding wires to its slider due to the indirect power supply us...

Recently, micro-optical lenses are highly required in new fields such as Fresnel lenses for solar panels and Wafer Level Cameras (WLC). The lenses are generally molded by micro ceramic molds. In this paper, a novel vibration-assisted polishing (VAP) method by using a magnetostrictive vibrating polisher is proposed to improve the efficiency and stab...

This study proposes and develops a novel polishing system for micro molds which need high precision polishing, high aspect ratio of micro channel structure, or further miniaturization for micro channel structure. The proposed system has been named a "low contact force polishing system for micro mold utilizing 2-dimensional low frequency vibrations...

This paper analyzes pulse voltage operations of a two-to-four phase voltage-induction-type electrostatic motor (VITEM) to clarify the appropriate driving sequences. The paper also evaluates transient charge effects that can possibly enhance the thrust force. VITEM has been studied as a novel centimeter-sized electrostatic film motor whose power to...

Needs of micro structured components and its molds/dies are increasing in a solar cell system, an infrared night view and micro medical devices. In order to improve the accuracy of the structured molds/dies made of tungsten carbide, a new truing method of the diamond grinding wheel by alloy metals was proposed and the performance of the proposed tr...

Demands of micro-aspheric glass lenses are increasing in optical devices such as digital cameras and blu-ray players. In this paper, a novel vibration-assisted polishing machine using a magnetostrictive vibrating polisher is proposed and developed to improve the efficiency, surface roughness and stability of finishing. The magnetostrictive vibratin...

Micro-aspheric lenses molded by micro-aspheric ceramic molds are increasing in the optical systems such as digital cameras and blu-ray players. To finish the molds with high accuracy and low surface roughness, in this paper, the micro-aspheric mold made of Electroless nickel plating are polished by using the newly developed 5-axis magnetostrictive...

In this paper, a two-dimensional low frequency vibration (LFV) polishing actuator using PZT is proposed and developed. The LFV consists of four mechanical amplitude magnified actuators, a multilayer stacked piezoelectric actuator (PZT) incorporated with mechanical transfc rmer, and a center piece. In the polishing experiments, HIPM workpieces were...

In dynamic viscoelastic measurement, accurate control of strain (or displacement) is one of the most important functions because the strain becomes dominant in viscoelasticity as it increases. However, it is difficult to achieve the accurate strain with commonly-used control methods when the specimen should be deformed largely. This is because the...

This paper introduces a novel technique of trapping or gathering particles sinking under a liquid using the standing wave generated by oscillating the container. In this study, a prototype oscillation system based on a respective control is developed to generate various standing wave fields in water. First, the gathering positions of particles are...

This paper presents a new kind of climbing robots whose locomotion and adhesion are both realized by electrostatic force. Two crawler-type robots were prototyped. For both of the prototypes, high-power electrostatic film motors are installed. The slider of the electrostatic motor works as a crawling belt as well as an electrode for electroadhesion....

This paper proposes an application of piezoelectric elements as inductors for a resonant electrostatic induction motor. The stator and the slider of the motor are made of plastic films with fine pitched electrodes patterned onto them. The stator electrodes are connected to the three-phase voltage source, whereas the slider electrodes are connected...

Precision polishing of micro structured mold has been highly demanded due to the increasing demand for optics manufacturing such as solar optics and DVD pick-up system, and medical devices like μ-TAS [1-5]. These micro structured molds usually have complicated structure and need to be polished after grinding or cutting. In this paper, a three-axis...

Micro structured glass lenses are highly required in new fields such as Micro channels, Fresnel lenses for solar panels and Wafer Level Cameras (WLC). The glass lenses are moulded bypress moulding with micro ceramics moulds made of tungsten carbides (WC). In this paper, a new Vibration Assisted Polishing (VAP) method is proposed and developed by us...

Our previous work has demonstrated that rubber hand illusion (RHI) can be elicited under active self-touch, in which participants can stimulate both their own hand and a rubber hand by using a master-slave system. This paper, in particular, discusses force feedback effect on the RHI under such unique condition. In our RHI paradigm, the participants...

Surgical robotics is among the most challenging applications of motion control. Present and future systems are essentially master-slave systems. Our work focuses on force-feedback and haptic interfaces. In this context, we study multimodal haptic interfaces, i.e. the fusion of force-feedback, with other tactile information such as temperature or pr...

This paper describes high speed non-contact object handling with one degree-of-freedom magnetic levitation. Feed-forward tilt control using an industrial robot realizes large acceleration and tilt angle. Experimental results demonstrate the transportation with the maximum acceleration of 7.31 m/s(2) and maximum tilt angle of 36 degrees. This accele...

This paper introduces a linear electrostatic induction motor utilizing electrical resonance. The motor consists of two thin plastic films: the stator film and the slider film, in which fine-pitched three-phase electrodes are embedded. The motor has three coils mounted on its slider, which are connected to the slider electrodes, and driven by applyi...

An electrostatic induction motor utilizing electrical resonance to enhance its torque is introduced in this paper. The motor has patterned electrodes embedded on both of its stator and rotor, and driven by three-phase excitation voltage applied to its stator electrodes. The rotor electrodes are connected to external inductances and resistances thro...

We present a novel electrostatic suspension system that is cost-effective and has good suspension performance. The main feature of the system is that movable electrodes are employed to implement a stable suspension instead of the stationary electrodes employed in previous suspension systems. In this system, the movable electrodes are powered by con...

Micro-Slicer Image Processing System (MSIPS) has been developed for measuring the three-dimensional(3-D) structure and distribution of ice crystals formed in biological materials. The system has functions to reconstruct the 3-D image based on the image data of exposed cross sections obtained by multi-slicing of a frozen sample with the minimum thic...

The relationship between the ice polycrystalline structure and the dielectric properties of a frozen gelatin gel were investigated. The Micro-Slicer Image Processing System (MSIPS) was applied to measure the diameter, the perimeter density and the number density of ice crystals. The dielectric property of frozen gelatin gel at various freezing rate...

Polishing pressure control plays a key role in the ultra-precision finishing of micro structured molds because it strongly affects the polishing performance. In this paper, a real-time polishing pressure control system is proposed to improve the stability of polishing. The proposed pressure control system mainly consists of a load cell and a piezo-...

This paper presents a new kind of climbing robots whose locomotion and adhesion are both realized by electrostatic force. Two crawler-type robots were prototyped. For both of the prototypes, high-power electrostatic film motors are installed. The slider of the electrostatic motor works as a crawling belt as well as an electrode for electroadhesion....

This paper describes the development of a new and unique 2-DOF tilting actuator that has a remote center of rotation. The tilting actuator is part of a non-contact handling tool that allows thin contact sensitive objects like silicon wafers or coated sheet metal to be manipulated without any contact between the tool and the object. Tilting is neces...

This paper introduces a novel approach to the manipulation of body-parts ownership, using the tactile rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm. In the conventional studies on the RHI, participant's invisible hand and the visible rubber hand are manually tapped or stroked by an experimenter. Differently, in our approach, a bilateral master-slave system i...

The stability of jetting is a major requirement for industrial inkjet heads. Air bubbles entrapped in a piezo-driven inkjet head can occasionally cause jetting failures. The piezo actuators can be used as sensors to detect the acoustic influence caused by air bubbles. As in our previous paper, we developed a controllable bubble generation method by...

Demands of precision molds with complicated microstructures for digital devices such as DVD pick-up system, medical devices such as μ-TAS and solar optics etc. are increasing [1 - 5]. The structured molds must be polished after grinding or cutting in order to improve the surface roughness. In this paper, a two dimensional low frequency vibration (2...

This paper describes a motor driver circuit for a high-power electrostatic motor using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Electrostatic actuators are popular in the field of micron or nano technologies but some high-power electrostatic motors have been developed for normal-sized applications. Dual Excitation Multiphase Electrostatic Drive (DEMED...

Pinning effect of a bulk high-temperature superconductor (HTS) has various possible applications, e.g., it enables a non-contact and stable levitation without active control. Regarding the magnetic levitation with HTSs, permanent magnets are generally employed, but our previous studies have demonstrated that the permanent magnets can be replaced wi...

This paper describes the system development of an admittance- controlled 2-dof haptic device using electrostatic motors. The unique point of the device is that all components including the mo- tors and sensors are fabricated using non ferromagnetic materials to realize operation in a strong magnetic field. The device consists of an operation handle...

Our previous study has proposed a magnetic levitation in which soft magnetic materials can be suspended by pinning effect of high-temperature superconductors. This paper describes how magnetic materials and magnetic bias affect the levitation performance. It is expected that obtained results may shed further light on the optimal configuration of th...

This paper analyzes pulse voltage operations of a two-to-four phase voltage-induction-type electrostatic motor (VITEM) to clarify the appropriate driving sequences. The paper also evaluates transient charge effects that can possibly enhance the thrust force. VITEM has been studied as a novel centimeter-sized electrostatic film motor whose power to...

The elemental composition and microscopic-level shape of inclusions inside industrial materials are considered important factors in fracture analytical studies. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) microscopic elemental analysis system based on a serial sectioning technique was developed to observe the internal structure of such materials. This 3...

Some eggs are frozen for preservation and are thawed when they are used in microinsemination process such as ICSI. However, the elasticity of egg makes the manipulation difficult to perform. It may be possible to simplify the process by performing the manipulation for frozen egg, because there is no need to concern about the elasticity when eggs ar...

Demands of micro aspheric glass lenses have been increased in digital optical devices such as digital cameras and blue ray pick-up devices. The glass lenses are molded by press molding with micro ceramics molds made of ceramics. In this report, in order to improve the efficiency and stability of aspheric mold furthermore, vibration assisted polishi...

Micro-glass lenses for digital cameras and blue laser DVD pick-up devices are generally molded by using micro-aspheric ceramic molds made of tungsten carbides. These molds are finished by micro-polishing using loose abrasives after grinding. Improvement to the accuracy of the molds is necessary, and high numerical aperture (NA) optics with steep an...

The 21st Annual Symposium on Micro-Nano Mechatronics and Human Science (MHS) is held jointly with the following two symposia: Symposium on “COE for Education and Research of Micro-Nano Mechatronics (Micro-Nano GCOE)” organized by the Global COE Program, Nagoya University, Symposium on “System Cell Engineering by Multi-scale Manipulation (Bio-Manipu...

Electrostatic levitation holds great promise for the semiconductor, solar panel, and flat-panel display industry where the handling of dielectrics in a contact-free manner can bring many advantages and solve long-standing contamination and particulate control problems. In this work an analytical model is developed for the electrostatic levitation f...

This paper proposes a novel experimental environment to evaluate multimodal feedback strategies for augmented navigation of the visually impaired. The environment consists of virtual obstacles and walls, an optical tracking system and a simple device with audio and vibrotactile feedback that interacts with the virtual environment, and presents many...

Currently, the concept of ergonomically designed workplace using 3D graphic mannequins is gaining wide acceptance among the design engineers. However, predicting the human operational feeling level (i.e., comfort or discomfort level) during an ergonomic analysis of a virtual work situation is still in immature level. The current study is an attempt...

The authors have developed a miniaturized peristaltic pump which is characterized by multi-channel, low pulsation, high pressure resistance and portability. The pump mainly consists of a disposable pumping channel unit and reusable actuating parts. The pumping channel unit, made of silicone elastomers, has eight pumping channels. The operation prin...

This paper reports a development of an electrostatic master–slave mechanism: a passively synchronized pair of electrostatic motors. The synchronization of the positions of the two motors and the transmission of forces from one motor to the other, are realized by the position dependence of the induced voltages on the electrodes of two sliders. The f...

The authors have developed a miniaturized peristaltic pump which is characterized by multi-channel, low pulsation, high pressure resistance and portability. The pump mainly consists of a disposable pumping channel unit and reusable actuating parts. The pumping channel unit, made of silicone elastomers, has eight pumping channels. The operation prin...

This paper analyzes sheet transportation using the principle of electrostatic induction motors. This sheet transportation method has the capability of positioning and feeding dielectric sheets in processes and can be an interesting alternative to the existing mechanical conveyor. Although electrostatic sheet transportation was previously proposed b...

Levitation techniques allow delicate objects, such as silicon wafers, to be manipulated without contact. In case of electrostatic and magnetic levitation, the object can be levitated by actively controlling the electric/magnetic field based on the measured air gap between the object and the levitator. Multiple degrees of freedom are controlled by s...

This paper proposes a novel experimental environment to evaluate multimodal feedback strategies for augmented navigation of the visually impaired. The environment consists of virtual obstacles and walls, an optical tracking system and a simple device with audio and vibrotactile feedback that interacts with the virtual environment, and presents many...

A novel peristaltic pump for portable microfluidic devices has been recently designed and fabricated. The operation principle is based on the peristaltic motion of eight elastic pumping channels that are occluded by a screw shaft. The screw shaft rotating inside the pumping channel unit has a spirally arranged projection which deforms and closes do...

The present paper describes the theoretical analyses, design and experimental verification of a magnetostrictive actuating device, the locomotion of which is inspired by the motion of the smooth impact drive mechanism reported previously by a number of researches of our group. The proposed device is different from the reported device driven by a pi...

Surface modification of implant materials with biomolecule coatings is of high importance to improve implant fixation in bone tissue. In the current study, we present two techniques for the deposition of biologically active enzyme coatings onto implant materials. The well-established thin film ElectroSpray Deposition (ESD) technique was compared wi...

This paper describes the mechanical model, the design and the fabrication of a magnetostrictive actuating device, which locomotion is inspired by the motion of the smooth impact drive mechanism (SIDM) reported by some previous researches [1][2]. The proposed device is different from the SIDM driven by a piezoelectric actuator. It is actuated by a m...

This paper describes plain paper copier (PPC) paper manipulation using electrostatic induction. The principle of electrostatic induction has been known for many years, but it has not been extensively studied due to its low output performance. In this study, the principle is applied to paper sheet manipulation that does not require high output. A po...

This paper proposes a new electrostatic impact drive actuator that is operated by a DC high voltage. In the actuator, a movable mass oscillates between two opposing electrodes such that it alternately collides against the electrodes. The collisions are converted into locomotion by the unique design of the electrode supports. The actuation principle...

This paper analyzes sheet transportation using the principle of electrostatic induction motors. This sheet transportation method has the capability of positioning and feeding dielectric sheets in processes and can be an interesting alternative to the existing mechanical conveyor. Although electrostatic sheet transportation was previously proposed b...

A novel capacitive linear encoder characterized by its untethered slider is presented. The main components are made of flexible printed circuit films measuring 0.2 mm in thickness that allows the sensor to be set up in thin interspaces or on curved surfaces. The sensor consists of a long receiver film and a short transmitter film, respectively cont...

We have developed an underwater robotic fish using a unique three-layer electrostatic film motor. In the robotic fish, the unique motor actuates a flexible caudal fin to propel the robot via an elaborate power transmission system. In the present study, we describe the major disadvantages of the previous prototype of the robotic fish and improvement...

This paper presents a 2-DOF controlled softness display and its application to a tactile tele-presentation system. It has been reported that softness feelings can be displayed by reproducing contact area, or contact width, on a fingertip. Several softness displays based on the contact area control have been reported in past studies, but all of them...

Levitation systems allow delicate objects to be handled without contact by actively controlling a levitation force that suspends the object. A drawback of levitation systems for thin objects is that the lateral force can not be controlled actively and is much weaker than the levitation force. This is a problem for non-contact manipulation systems a...

This research has proposed the concept of “Haptic Tweezer,” which combines a haptic device with non-contact levitation techniques for intuitive and easy handling of contact-sensitive objects by a human operator. The levitation error of the levitated object is used as an input for the haptic device to minimize disturbances especially in the tasks of...