Patent 7218035 was granted and assigned to University of Waterloo on May, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A micro-positioning device adapted for displacement in a direction of travel. The device has a frame, an actuator attached to the frame, and a hydraulic booster attached to the frame and operably connected to the actuator. The actuator is adapted for activation and de-activation in sequence to achieve a displacement in the direction of travel. The hydraulic booster is adapted for amplifying or de-amplifying displacement in the direction of travel. The hydraulic booster converts mechanical energy into hydraulic energy and converts hydraulic energy into mechanical energy to modify the displacement.