Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards robotic systems and methods. The robot may include an end effector, a tool flange of the robot, and a joint. The end effector may include a contacting part configured to contact a workpiece. The joint may be positioned between, and connected to, the tool flange and the end effector. The joint may include a variable angle between the tool flange and the end effector.

An apparatus for assisting a finger motion, including a palm support installed to surround a part of a hand-back and a wrist; an extension assist unit secured at a first side thereof to a middle phalanx region of a finger and connected at a second side thereof to the palm support to assist extension of the finger through an elastic force between both ends; and a flexion assist unit comprising a distal phalange support mounted on an end of the finger, and a first flexion wire and a second flexion wire mounted on a part of the finger and assisting flexion of the finger on the basis of tensile force supplied from an outside.

A system comprising a computer readable storage device readable by the system, tangibly embodying a program having a set of instructions executable by the system to perform the following steps for indication confirmation for detecting a sub-surface defect, the set of instructions comprising: an instruction to initialize a transducer starting location and a transducer orientation responsive to a prior determination of a potential flaw location; an instruction to optimize an observation point of the transducer responsive to the transducer starting location and the transducer orientation responsive to a flaw response model; an instruction to move the transducer to the observation point location and orientation; an instruction to collect the scan data at the observation point location and orientation; and an instruction to analyze the scan data to extract a measure of the flaw response model; and an instruction to update the flaw response model.

A wafer suspension fork has a body and a cover. The body has a connection portion having multiple inlets and two arms being symmetrical in shape and protruding from the connection portion. Each arm has a holding surface, a flowing surface, multiple inner and outer inclined holes formed in the holding surface arranged along a protruding direction, an inner flowing channel formed in the flowing surface and communicating with the inner inclined holes and the inlets, and an outer flowing channel formed in the flowing surface and communicating with the outer inclined holes and the inlets. The cover is fixed to a bottom surface of the body. A wafer is able to be suspended and held above the two arms by adjusting pressure of gas flowing out from the inner and outer inclined holes and is able to be moved free from being scratched.

A robotic welding cell is provided, and includes a workstation to receive at least one workpiece, a tool support comprising at least one tool and a robot. The robot includes a robot arm being displaceable in a 3D environment of the workstation, and a robot end effector operatively coupled to the robot arm at a free end thereof. The robot end effector has a gripper adapted to separately and selectively seize and release the at least one tool from the tool support and the at least one workpiece. The tool support is within reach of the gripper such that the robot is operable to manipulate and position the workpiece within the workstation using the gripper and perform a predetermined operation on or around the workpiece using the tool held by the gripper.

A handling apparatus has an arm having a joint; a holding portion attached to the arm and configured to hold an object; a sensor configured to detect a plurality of the objects; and a control apparatus configured to control the arm and the holding portion, wherein the control apparatus is configured to calculate an ease of holding the object by the holding portion as a score based on information acquired by the sensor with respect to each object and each holding method, select the object to hold and the holding method according to the score, and calculate a position for holding the selected object and an orientation of the arm.

A vacuum gripping system for grabbing and releasing an object has a base frame for operably engaging a robotic arm. The base frame includes a pneumatic source connector. The system also includes an extendable member configured to extend and retract relative to the base frame. The extendable member has a distal end and a proximal end. The extendable member also has an extended position and a retracted position defining a range of motion therebetween. The system further includes a vacuum cup coupled to the distal end of the extendable member. Still further, the system includes a pneumatic pathway extending from the vacuum cup to the pneumatic source connector. The pneumatic pathway passes through the extendable member such that the vacuum cup remains in pneumatic communication with the pneumatic source connector throughout the range of motion of the extendable member.

A system for verifying quality of a part using an arm robot includes an arm robot, which includes a camera to acquire image data of a part assembled in each manufacturing process of a vehicle, a carrier, which includes a sliding rail allowing the arm robot to be movable around the vehicle along the sliding rail to acquire the image data, and a server which receives the image data acquired by the camera, compares the image data with modeling data of the vehicle, which is stored in a database, and determines whether the assembled part satisfies a preset inspection item, to verify quality of the assembled part, verifying the quality of the part in each process before the vehicle is completely manufactured.

A method for detecting at least one characteristic parameter of a closure element (12) closing an opening. By means of a handling device (10), a movement is imposed on the closure element (12), wherein at least the interacting force between the closure element and the handing device during the movement is determined by means of a first sensor (20) integrated in the handling device, and position changes of the closure element during the movement sequence are detected by means of a second sensor (26).

A device for the automatic manufacture of screw connections by a screw includes a motion system with which the screw can be led to the components to be connected. The screw is taken up by an automatic screwing arranged on the motion system. A protective sleeve is arranged so that it can be moved with the automatic screwing unit. The protective sleeve acts as protection, surrounds the screw, and is arranged out of contact with one of the components to be connected.