A movable substrate is placed over a bottom substrate where both substrates contain Coulomb islands. The Coulomb islands can be adjusted in charge and are used to develop a force between two opposing Coulomb islands. Information from sensors is applied to a control unit to control the movement of the movable substrate. Coulomb islands are formed in the juxtaposed edges of a first substrate and second substrate, respectively. The islands generate edge Coulomb forces. These edge Coulomb forces can be used to detach, repel, move, attract and reattach the edges of substrates into new configurations. One possibility is to combine a plurality of individual substrates into one large planar substrate.