
- Published in issue 2/2006 on page 0
Micro Motors
March of the miniature machines

Piezoelectric actuators and motors are finding more and more applications. These drives feature excellent dynamics, accuracy down to nanometres and tiny physical dimensions.
In many cases the discovery of a new physical phenomenon has precipitated an immediate technical revolution: examples include X-rays and the transistor. In other cases it has taken several decades before the potential of a discovery is realised, such as in the case of superconductivity (discovered in 1911) and the effect we describe below.
In many cases the discovery of a new physical phenomenon has precipitated an immediate technical revolution: examples include X-rays and the transistor. In other cases it has taken several decades before the potential of a discovery is realised, such as in the case of superconductivity (discovered in 1911) and the effect we describe below.