Plenary Speakers

Quan Zhou Dept of Electrical Engineering and Automation Aalto University FINLAND

Manipulation at small scales: Strategies across deterministic, interfacial, and stochastic mechanisms

Small-scale manipulation requires strategies that align with the dominant physics of each mechanism. This talk will cover our work on deterministic methods in contact micromanipulation, where high-performance robotic tools enable precise and high-speed in situ control. We will also discuss how indirect interfacial mechanisms, such as surface tension, wetting contrast, and soft-matter interactions, can be leveraged to achieve robust alignment, assembly, and characterization. Finally, we will examine manipulation driven by spatially nonlinear and stochastic force fields, including acoustic and airflow-mediated systems, where modeling and learning make reliable control possible despite complex dynamics.