Inchworm motor

The inchworm motor is a device that uses piezoelectric actuators to move a shaft with nanometer precision.

mounted inside a tube (1) and electrified in sequence to grip a shaft (4) which is then moved in a linear direction.

To move long distances the sequence of six steps is repeated many times in rapid succession.

An STM requires nanometer-scale control of its scanning tip near the material it is observing.

The inchworm motor in turn allows control in a direction normal to the plane of the observed material's surface.

The inchworm motor is particularly ideal in patch clamping because it provides the operator with virtually an instantaneous, precise, smooth and predictable motion without drift.

Figure 1. Diagram of piezo inchworm motor in action.
Figure 2. Six-step actuation process of the piezo inchworm motor.