This paper deals with a historical overview of the activities of the French FEMTO-ST institute in the field of microrobotic manipulation and assembly. It firstly shows tools developed for fine and coarse positioning: 4 DOF microgrippers, 2 DOF modules and smart surfaces. The paper then goes on the automation of tridimensional microassembly of objects measuring between 10 and 400 microns. We are especially focusing on several principles. Closed loop control based on micro-vision has been studied

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... and applied on the fully automatic assembly of several 400 microns objects. Force control has been also analyzed and is proposed for optical Microsystems assembly. At least, open loop trajectories of 40 microns objects with a throughput of 1,800 unit per hour have been achieved. Scientific and technological aspects and industrial relevance will be presented.