A Square‐Ring 2‐DOF Piezoelectric Mobile Robot for Microscopic Image Stitching

ABSTRACT

Precision planar scanning and microscopic imaging systems require actuators capable of orthogonal two‐degree‐of‐freedom (2‐DOF) motion with cross‐scale operating capability, enabling both high‐speed long‐range translation and sub‐micrometer stepping resolution within a compact structure. To meet this demand, this work presents a square‐ring piezoelectric mobile robot (SRPR) capable of achieving orthogonal 2‐DOF linear motion for precision planar scanning applications. The SRPR features a compact design with dimensions of 40 × 40 × 10.4 mm and a weight of 47 g. It utilizes a square‐ring metal frame and piezoelectric ceramics to generate two orthogonal linear motions through the excitation of bending vibration modes. The SRPR demonstrates impressive motion performances, achieving speeds of 255 mm/s and 266 mm/s along the LX and LY directions, respectively, with sub‐micrometer step sizes (0.88 µm forward and 0.83 µm backward for LX, and 0.91 µm forward and 0.81 µm backward for LY). The system also successfully integrates into a real‐time microscopic image stitching platform, where it is capable of high‐quality stitching over large areas, improving the field of view (FOV) and resolution in microscopic imaging. Experimental results validate the high‐speed and high‐resolution capabilities, showing its potential for applications in biological and materials imaging, micro‐manipulation, and large‐area scanning tasks.