Releasing principles for dry-adhesive handling of microobjects

For the handling of samples for material testing, a gentle grasping method is necessary. While scaling effects in the micro domain typically pose a challenge for handling, an adhesive grasping system based on an artificial microstructure can utilize the Van-der-Waals force to advantage. For the design of a dry-adhesive grasping system, it is necessary to determine a suitable releasing mechanism. Different approaches for releasing systems are identified. Based on literature research they are examined with regard to the task of handling material samples. A switchable microstructure and a peeling strategy are determined as the most suitable releasing strategies.