Patent ID: 7785422

Claim:
A method for transporting an object from one workstation to another or for manipulating an object within a workstation, said method comprising: (a) adhesively gripping the object at one workstation with an end effector including an array of nano-scale projections, where each projection provides one or more distal contact ends, the density of the contact ends is such that a surface of the object is gripped with an intermolecular force sufficient to hold the object for movement, and the relative sizes of the object and any unwanted dirt or dust particles that have contaminated the object or a workstation are such that the object makes contact with a greater number of contact ends than contact the unwanted dirt or dust particles, (b) moving the end effector such that the gripped object is moved within a workstation or transported to another workstation, (c) manipulating the end effector to release the gripped object, and (d) before or after any of steps (a)-(c), contacting the end effector with a cleaning surface having a surface energy interaction with the unwanted dirt or dust particles carried on the end effector that is as great or greater than the surface interaction energy between the unwanted dirt or dust particles and the end effector, thereby to transfer the unwanted dirt or dust particles to the cleaning surface.