Optical Robotics in Mesoscopia

With light’s miniscule momentum, shrinking robotics down to the micro-scale regime creates opportunities for exploiting optical forces and torques in advanced actuation and control at the nano- and micro-scale dimensions. Advancing light-driven nano- or micro-robotics requires the optimization of optical forces and optical torques that, in turn, requires optimization of the underlying light-matter interactions.

The requirement of having tightly focused beams in optical tweezer systems exemplifies the need for optimal light-shaping in optical trapping. On the other hand, the recently demonstrated optical lift or light foil shows that optical manipulation can be achieved, even by using unshaped light, and instead applying an appropriately shaped structure.

Hence, a generic approach for optimizing lightmatter interaction will involve the combination of optimal light-shaping techniques with the use of optimized shapes in the micro-robotics structures [1]. We designed different three-dimensional microstructures and had them fabricated by two-photon polymerization at BRC Hungary.

These microstructures were then handled by our proprietary BioPhotonics Workstation to show proof-of-principle 3 demonstrations illustrating 6DOF optical actuation of these two-photon fabricated three-dimensional microstructures. In addtion, we demonstrated the light shaping capabilities available on the BioPhotonics Workstation to demonstrate a new strategy for controlling microstructures that goes beyond the typical refractive light deflections that are exploited in conventional optical trapping and manipulation.

We also proposed designing micro-structures for so-called structure-mediated access to the nanoscale and a completely new concept: waveguided optical waveguides.