Micromotor

An array 1 of micromotors 2 is formed from a sheet 3 of piezoelectric material. The sheet 3 is cut to define the micromotors as a plurality of elongate legs 5 which are connected together by a bridging portion 6 at one end of each leg 5 and which extend to the remainder of the sheet 3. The bridging portion 6 mounts a contact pad 7. The legs 5 are angled away from the remainder of the sheet 3. Each of the legs 5 has a pair of electrodes 8 extending along the legs 5 on the opposed major surfaces of the sheet 3 for applying an electric field across the sheet, the material being poled across the sheet 3 for activation in an expansion-contraction mode. In use, a periodic control voltage is applied across the pair of electrodes 8 for each leg 5 with a predetermined phase relationship between the control voltages for each leg 5. The resultant expansion and contraction of the legs 5 moves the pad around an orbital path allowing the pad 7 to drive movement of an object. The micromotors 2 are easy to manufacture by cutting and pressing a sheet 3 of piezoelectric material.