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NanoRobotics
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:29:46
Abstract
NanoRobotics is an emerging interdisciplinary field between nanotechnology and robotics. The students learn about the basic principles of nanorobotics, building blocks for nanorobotic systems, imaging, sensing, actuation, manipulation, assembly and other fundamental processes at the nanoscale, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), and the applications of nanorobotics.
Objective
NanoRobotics is an emerging interdisciplinary field between nanotechnology and robotics. The aim of this course is to expose students the most essential topics in this exciting field. These topics include basic principles of nanorobotics, building blocks for nanorobotic systems, imaging, sensing, actuation, manipulation, assembly and other fundamental processes at the nanoscale, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), and the applications of nanorobotics. Throughout the course, after each lecture, discussions will be organized on a selected topic.
Content
Progress in robotics over the past years has dramatically extended our ability to explore the world from perception, cognition and manipulation perspectives at a variety of scales extending from the edges of the solar system down to individual atoms. At the bottom of this scale, technology has been moving toward greater control of the structure of matter, suggesting the feasibility of achieving thorough control of the molecular structure of matter atom by atom. Nanorobotics represents the next stage in miniaturization for maneuvering nanoscale objects. Nanorobotics is the study of robotics at the nanometer scale, and includes robots that are nanoscale in size and large robots capable of manipulating objects that have dimensions in the nanoscale range with nanometer resolution. The field of nanorobotics brings together several disciplines, including nanofabrication processes used for producing nanoscale robots, nanoactuators, nanosensors, and physical modeling at nano scales. Main topics of the course will include: - NanoRobotics: an Emerging Interdisciplinary Field between Nanotechnology and Robotics - Scaling to the Nanoworld: Supermolecules and Macro Quantum Effects - Building Blocks at Nanoscale: Bottom-up vs. Top-down - Imaging at the Nanoscale: Far-field vs. Near-Field - Sensing at the Nanoscale: Ultimate Instrumentation - Actuation at the Nanoscale: Smaller, Faster, and More Accurate - Nanorobotic Manipulation: Robotic Hands vs. Scanning Probes - Nanoassembly: Robotic Assembly or Self-assembly - NanoElectroMechanical Systems (NEMS) - Applications and Prospects: Compute Faster, Living Longer, and Molecular Manufacturing
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- end-of-semester examination
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | NanoRobotics |
|
2 h weekly |