Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
Assembly
Nicole K. Thomas, Huanfen Yao, Ilkka Lähdesmäki,
and Babak A. Parviz
*
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
*parviz@u.washington.edu
12.1
Introduction
Self-assembly refers to a process where components automatically
occupy desired locations on a template, or spontaneously organize
themselves to form structured free-standing units. Besides being a
subject of general academic studies, it holds significant commercial
promise since self-assembly could potentially be used to put together
complex electromechanical systems with great efficiency and speed.
Self-assembly is fundamentally different from conventional
robotic assembly techniques in that structures are put together in
a parallel fashion, as opposed to the conventional serial operation.
It bears a resemblance to a biological growth mechanism, in the
sense that finished units emerge as a result of exposing the template
to various component mixtures and environmental conditions. A
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