Wide I/O poses serious challenges due to the requisite high density of electronics and relays near the DUT, as well as high bandwidth. A 2×2mm MEMS switch has been demonstrated, offering >80% footprint reduction relative to a typical TO-can electromagnetic relay. A further benefit of its small size, the MEMS relay is able to operate up to Ka-band (40 GHz) with hot switch capability and repeatability of <;±50mΩ. To our knowledge, our latest SPDT device holds the current record in power handling for MEMS devices of 24 W at 10 million cycles.

In this paper, various aspects of robotic telesurgery are studied. After a general introduction to laparoscopic surgery and medical applications of robotics, the UC Berkeley/Endorobotics Inc./UC San Francisco Telesurgical Workstation, a master-slave telerobotic system for laparoscopic surgery, is introduced, followed by its kinematic analysis, control, and experimental results. Some conceptual and future issues on telesurgery are discussed, including teleoperation and hybrid control, focusing on the special requirements of telesurgery.

Microscopic (submillimeter) parts are often fabricated in parallel at high density but must then be assembled into patterns with lower spatial density. We propose a new approach to microassembly using: 1) ultrasonic vibration to eliminate friction and adhesion; and 2) electrostatic forces to position and align parts in parallel. We describe experiments on the dynamic and frictional properties of collections of microscopic parts under these conditions. We first demonstrate that ultrasonic vibration can be used to overcome adhesive forces; we also compare part behavior in air and vacuum. Next, we demonstrate that parts can be positioned and aligned using a combination of vibration and electrostatic forces. Finally, we demonstrate part sorting by size. Our goal is a systematic method for designing implementable planar force fields for microassembly based on part geometry.