An electrowetting based microgripper

In this paper, we present a novel capillary microgripper that can pick up and release micro objects simply by electrowetting. Electrowetting on Dielectric (EWOD), a phenomenon which uses electrical potential to manipulate the surface tension of a liquid droplet is utilized to control the lifting forces. A coplanar interdigitated gold electrode was employed to simplify the micromachining. The design, micromachining and the experimental characterization of the microgripper are presented.