A method for determining an orientation or installation of a robot relative to a direction of gravity for at least one installation location of the robot, and for horizontal alignment or alignment relative to the direction of gravity of a robot includes creating a model wherein joint forces are identified in at least one calibration pose. The robot is then into a new installation location and the joint forces of the robot are identified in at least one measuring pose. Based on the identified joint forces and the model of the robot, the orientation, i.e. the orientation or the installation, of the robot relative to the direction of gravity is determined. The orientation of the robot is corrected by tilting the robot base such that the identified joint forces do not deviate from the forces defined in the model.

The various embodiments herein relate to robotic surgical systems and devices that use force and/or torque sensors to measure forces applied at various components of the system or device. Certain implementations include robotic surgical devices having one or more force/torque sensors that detect or measure one or more forces applied at or on one or more arms. Other embodiments relate to systems having a robotic surgical device that has one or more sensors and an external controller that has one or more motors such that the sensors transmit information that is used at the controller to actuate the motors to provide haptic feedback to a user.

A robot includes an arm that has a plurality of arm members, a drive unit driving the plurality of arm members, and a grasp unit; and a force detector. The robot sequentially performs a contact operation in which a fitting member grasped by the grasp unit is moved in a predetermined contact direction and is brought into contact with a to-be-fitted member, a posture change operation in which a posture of the fitting member is changed to a fitting posture, and a fitting operation in which the fitting member in the fitting posture is moved in a searching direction and the fitting member is fitted into the to-be-fitted member in a fitting direction. The contact direction, the searching direction, and the fitting direction are directions different from one another.

An apparatus includes a manipulator, a pneumatic actuator and a robot control. The pneumatic actuator is coupled to the manipulator such that the pneumatic actuator is arranged between the manipulator and an object to be positioned. The robot control is configured: to control the pneumatic actuator such that an actuator force of the pneumatic actuator approximately compensates a weight force of the object; and to monitor the actuator position of the pneumatic actuator and initiate safety measures when the actuator position exceeds a predefined value. Methods of operating the manipulator and the pneumatic actuator are also described.

An apparatus for controlling and regulating a movement of a system includes a load calculating device calculating continuously during the movement of the system a respective force vector for each of the individual elements as a function of predetermined reference coordinates and a torque calculating device calculating continuously during the movement at least one compensating variable, wherein the compensating variable compensates the force vectors as a function of the reference coordinates and the force vectors. The apparatus for controlling and regulating has a control unit controlling continuously during the movement a force-producing variable for the at least one drive as a function of the reference and the at least one compensating variable.

The various embodiments herein relate to robotic surgical systems and devices that use force and/or torque sensors to measure forces applied at various components of the system or device. Certain implementations include robotic surgical devices having one or more force/torque sensors that detect or measure one or more forces applied at or on one or more arms. Other embodiments relate to systems having a robotic surgical device that has one or more sensors and an external controller that has one or more motors such that the sensors transmit information that is used at the controller to actuate the motors to provide haptic feedback to a user.

The invention relates to a method for positioning, in particular for palletizing, objects. The method is carried out using a manipulator having an additional actuator which is arranged between the manipulator and the object to be positioned. According to one example of the invention, the method comprises the gripping of the object and the moving of the object, using the manipulator, at a start position in the proximity of a storage surface on which the object is to be positioned and deposited. The method furthermore comprises the moving of the object using the manipulator to the storage surface, wherein the actuator is actuated such that the actuating force compensates for the weight of the object, or wherein the actuator force is regulated such that an adjustable, minimal net actuator force acts on an end stop of the actuator (which can be zero in the limiting case). Furthermore, the excursion of the actuator is monitored and a change to the excursion is detected. The movement of the manipulator is stopped upon detecting a change to the excursion of the actuator, whereupon the object can be released.

The invention relates to a control method for a robot (1) having a plurality of movable robot axes (2, 4, 6), in particular for a painting robot (1) or a manipulating robot, comprising the following steps: (a) predetermining a robot path by means of a plurality of path points through which a reference point of the robot (1) is intended to travel; (b) controlling drive motors of the individual robot axes (2, 4, 6) according to the predetermined robot path, such that the reference point of the robot (1) travels through the predetermined robot path; (c) precalculating the mechanical loading (My1, Mx1, Fx1, Fy1, Fz1, Fx2, Fy2, Fz2, Mx2, My2, Mz2) that occurs within at least one of the robot axes (2, 4, 6) between two joints when travelling through the robot path ahead; and also (d) adjusting the control of the drive motors of the robot axes (2, 4, 6) on the basis of the precalculated mechanical loading (My1, Mx1, Fx1, Fy1, Fz1, Fx2, Fy2, Fz2, Mx2, My2, Mz2), such that a mechanical overload is avoided.

The various embodiments herein relate to robotic surgical systems and devices that use force and/or torque sensors to measure forces applied at various components of the system or device. Certain implementations include robotic surgical devices having one or more force/torque sensors that detect or measure one or more forces applied at or on one or more arms. Other embodiments relate to systems having a robotic surgical device that has one or more sensors and an external controller that has one or more motors such that the sensors transmit information that is used at the controller to actuate the motors to provide haptic feedback to a user.

The various embodiments herein relate to robotic surgical systems and devices that use force and/or torque sensors to measure forces applied at various components of the system or device. Certain implementations include robotic surgical devices having one or more force/torque sensors that detect or measure one or more forces applied at or on one or more arms. Other embodiments relate to systems having a robotic surgical device that has one or more sensors and an external controller that has one or more motors such that the sensors transmit information that is used at the controller to actuate the motors to provide haptic feedback to a user.