Precision mechatronics are essential for the future manufacturing of nano devices and systems. Without accurate means to pattern, assemble, image and measure nano structures, we will be unable to meet the challenges of the next decade. In this paper we discuss the current state-of-theart in metrology used for motion control systems and make suggestions regarding possible future technologies that might improve the situation. What is required is a method to reduce the errors in stage position measurement which is currently interferometric on most production machines. The limitations of this technology are discussed as well as an alternative of using nano gratings to replace the interferometry.

The measurement techniques developed in the last thirty-five years for the accurate measurement of thermophysical properties at high temperatures (800-3700 K) using subsecond current-heating are reviewed. Only experiments of total duration around 1 s are considered, with data acquisition performed at the sub-millisecond level. Emphasis is placed on the physics of the different techniques, as developed in major national measurement institutes around the world. A complete survey is provided, covering multiproperty experiments, extensions to thermal expansion and thermal conductivity and measurements at the melting point. An intercomparison of experimental results available in the literature provides an indirect evaluation of the validity of these techniques.

In this paper the recent developments in the uncertainty evaluation are outlined, by describing the activity of the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology- Working Group 1 on the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, and the documents that this WG is preparing on uncertainty.

In these paper, innovative developments in sine approximation and time interval analysis methods (SAM and TIA) for primary vibration calibration by heterodyne interferometry are described in detail. The frequency demodulation of novel TIA is based on estimation of time intervals between neighbouring peaks and valleys instead of traditional positive or negative zero-crossings of Laser Doppler Interferometer (LDI) signal, while the simplified SAM uses digital reference signal to generate quadrature signals and perform phase demodulation and differentiation to restore time history of velocity. Because of simplified algorithm and low requirements on hardware, these developments lead to a successful integration of SAM and TIA, both efficient and cost effective, for accurate result and reliable comparison in a single measurement, and to a novel implementation of national medium frequency vibration standard (10 Hz to 10 kHz) in National Institute of Metrology (NIM), China. The validity and accuracy of the novel methods is proved by simulation and will be further verified by a bilateral comparison underway.