[amelius]

These piezoelectric drivers are very cool.

Here's a video showing the mechanism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iHL4ZCkCKc

And here's a video showing such a motor at full speed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtttNnmCVmU

[ExAr]

Cool videos, thanks! The driver shown in the first video is indeed a piezoelectric actuator, but not the type Canon uses in their lenses. The driver shown in the second video is probably related to Canon's Nano USM.

[blackeyeblitzar]

Do companies like Canon manufacture these motors or actuators themselves? Or is there some other company that specializes in this sort of thing?

[ExAr]

As far as I know, Canon controls a large part of the supply chain and has numerous factories to manufacture quality-critical parts (especially their lenses, zoom mechanisms, and barrels) themselves. But there are numerous components that are more efficient to obtain from third parties, such as microchips. I am not sure about the motors and actuators, though.