Micromanipulation for micro- and nanomanufacturing

The multi-disciplinary interest in microrobotics and micromanipulation is discussed with respect to the equipment used, the application areas and the microrobot systems that can be anticipated in the nearby future. Special attention is paid to the instrument development at Uppsala University, Sweden, within this field and a brief review covers other similar activities in the world. Techniques for the fabrication of three dimensional microstructures are essential to the development of microsystems in general and some current examples of research activities based on micromanipulation is given. One of the most straight forward methods for building microsystems is microassembling which is emphasised in detail.