# A Linearly Deformable Pneumatic Scalable Microgripper for Universal Mid‐Air Micromanipulation

## TL;DR

A 3D-printed soft microgripper is developed to manipulate tiny objects in mid-air with high precision and minimal adhesion.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a scalable, 3D-printed microgripper with active adhesion control and a high adhesion switching ratio for universal micromanipulation.

## Key findings

- The microgripper achieves a minimum operation diameter of 40 μm and a release force as low as 11.1 nN.
- It enables mid-air manipulation of ultralight components (≈1.14 μg) in confined spaces.
- The device maintains performance over 30,000 actuation cycles.

## Abstract

The manipulation of microscale components with complex shape like semiconductors, 3D printed microparts, and optical lenses, remains challenging due to strong surface forces and limitations of existing methods. A 3D‐printed soft pneumatic microgripper capable of rectilinear deformation is presented in this paper. It addresses these challenges through a concave design with two operational modes (snap and continuous) and an integrated adhesion‐reducing mask. Fabricated with IP‐PDMS two‐photon polymerisation 3D printing, the microgripper achieves a 40 μm minimum operation diameter and demonstrates a substrate‐free release force as low as 11.1 nN with an adhesion switching ratio of 373 in the normal direction. Combined with rigid alignment, the device enables universal pick‐and‐place over a range of micro‐objects and mid‐air transition of ultralight components (≈1.14 μg) in confined spaces. With over 30000 actuation cycles without performance degradation, this scalable design can execute complex manipulation tasks through a multi‐gripper system as demonstrated.

This work presents a fully 3D printed soft microgripper capable of active adhesion control through a pneumatic system. Its modular design can reach a high adhesion switching ratio of 373 and free release of micro‐objects at 100 μm dimension. The compact, scalable structure enables mid‐air manipulation and release of objects through a multi‐gripper configuration.