Micro-Structured Surfaces at Scale: Robots Revolutionize Manufacturing

At Professor Ping Guo's Northwestern lab, discover how compact robots are reshaping manufacturing in this innovative project, where a credit-card-sized robot produces high-fidelity micro-structured surfaces. With applications in friction control, anti-fouling, and hydrophobicity, this scalable technique generates precise surface patterns using a modulated tool tip and density-based control architecture. See how this groundbreaking method eliminates expensive tooling, enabling efficient and affordable large-scale surface patterning while validating the transformative potential of robotic manufacturing. From intricate designs to functional applications, this research demonstrates a new frontier in scalable surface engineering.

https://pingguo.mech.northwestern.edu/projects/robot_pattern/