Development and Testing of a Scaled Prototype of a Cantilever-Based Piezoelectric MEMS Actuator for Arbitrary XY Path Generation

This research focuses on developing a scaled prototype of a piezoelectric actuator capable of generating arbitrary paths in the XY plane. The present study is driven by the potential applications of this category of actuators in the field of minimally invasive surgery and surface scanning techniques. The prototype employs piezoelectric actuators to induce bending moments in a cantilever structure, allowing tip position control. This paper describes the prototype’s design, operating principle, and construction process. In addition, the experimental setup implemented to measure the displacement of the prototype’s tip using image analysis-based methods is outlined. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of generating different trajectories, including Lissajous figures, with a maximum root mean square error equal to $0.140 \pm 0.012$.