15 Millinewton Force, 1 Millimeter Displacement, Low-Power MEMS Gripper

We demonstrate a MEMS gripper with a measured 15mN of gripping force over the full gripping displacement of 0 to 1 mm. Integrated contact and capacitive force sensing have been demonstrated and characterized. The gripper has successfully held and released a 0.2 gram through-hole resistor. The integrated electrostatic inchworm motors burn only leakage current (estimated <1 nA) when holding position (gripping or open) and an estimated 0.3 mW when closing at 1 mm/s.