During the last years the field of manipulation, characterization and processing of nanomaterials has become one of the main research topics in material science and nanotechnology. The extraordinary physical properties of novel nanomaterials and composites enable numerous applications. The Division Microrobotics and Control Engineering is working on the one hand directly with those nanomaterials, manipulating and characterizing them, and on the other hand enabling these manipulations by developing nanorobotic systems together with image acquisition and analysis techniques.

Current objects of interest are for example graphene, the recently celebrated monolayered sheets of carbon, however also nanotubes and nanowires, in which carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the most prominent example, are also of a major interest. In addition to these synthesized materials our group is working on biomaterials such as wood and paper fibres. These nanomaterials provide a basis for novel construction, actuator, and sensor technologies and can improve for example existing electronic devices, such as nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS), or more classical products such as paper, as well as novel structures in between, such as bio-inspired composite materials.

Nanomaterials fabrication techniques, the assembly of prototypic devices, reliable and precise manipulation, characterization and flexible processing of these nanomaterials is required. Additionally, the micro-nano-integration of these nanomaterials into existing microsystems remains a challenge. Automated nanorobotic systems are one of the most promising enabling technologies for this challenge closing the existing gap between bottom-up and top-down approaches. AMiR/ANH develops and applies nanorobotic strategies for the manipulation, characterization and processing of nanomaterials bringing them one step closer to their potential applications. This talk will give an overview of current activities in this respect.