Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/857644
August 2017 • The PCB Magazine 57 9. Pique, A. & Kim, H. Laser-induced forward transfer of functional materials: advances and fu- ture directions. J. Laser MicroNanoengineering 9, 192–197 (2014) 10. Pique, A., Auyeung, R. C., Kim, H., Metkus, K. M. & Mathews, S. A. Digital Microfabrication by Laser Decal Transfer. J. Laser MicroNanoengineer- ing 3, 163–169 (2008) 11. Pique, A. et al. Laser direct-write of embed- ded electronic components and circuits. Proc. SPIE 5713, 223–230 (2005). 12. Marinov, V. et al. Laser-Enabled Advanced Packaging of Ultrathin Bare Dice in Flexible Sub- strates. IEEE Trans. Compon. Packag. Manuf. Tech- nol. 2, 569–577 (2012). 13. Alberto Pique, Mathews, A. & Auyeung, R. C. Laser-Based T echnique for the Transfer and Em - bedding of Electronic Components and Devices. US Patent 8,056,222. Filed February 20, 2009 and issued November 15, 2011. 14. Mathews, S. A., Beniam, L., Charipar, N. & Pique, A. Laser Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) for Direct-Write Fabrication and Assembly of Mi - croelectronics. in ICALEO 2015 9–13 (Laser Insti- tute of America). 15. Esrom, H., Zhang, J.-Y., Kogelschatz, U. & Pedraza, A. J. New approach of a laser-induced forward transfer for deposition of patterned thin metal films. Appl. Surf. Sci. 86, 202–207 (1995). 16. Khandpur, R. S. Printed Circuit Boards. (McGraw-Hill, 2006). This paper was originally presented at the IPC 2017 APEX EXPO conference and published in the proceedings. (From left to right) Joel Schrauben is research scientist, Cameron Tribe is electrical engineer, Christopher Ryder is director of product management, and Jan Kleinert is laser optics engineering manager, all with ESI. At first glance, robots would appear to have ex- actly nothing in common with sweet peas or other climbing vines. Thanks to some innovative scientists, they now share at least one trait: the ability to extend their reach. Inspired by the growing action of plants and oth- er living things, researchers at UC Santa Barbara and Stanford University have developed a tubular robot that navigates its environ- ment by extending its tip and controlling its grow- ing direction based on what it senses external- ly. Such a machine lends itself well to a variety of purposes in constrained environments, from clearing arterial blockag- es to tunneling through rubble for sear ch and res- cue operations. "When you think about robots today, most of them are in the world of factories," said UCSB mechan- ical engineer Elliot Hawkes. "But there's a big push right now to see if we can create robots that could live and help out in the human world." Robots, known for their precision and consistent, repeatable action in highly controlled spaces, are now being explored for their potential to work under variable circumstances. For instance, said Hawkes, these so-called "soft" ro - bots may adapt their ac- tions to the presence of obstacles (including hu- mans) or change shape to interact in a variety of spaces. Research on this project, titled "A soft robot that navigates its environ- ment through growth," appears in the journal Sci- ence Robotics. A Robot That Grows LASER PATTERNING AND METALLIZATION TO REDUCE PROCESS STEPS FOR PCB MANUFACTURING