Disclosed herein is an impedance control system for a robot arm. The system is able to provide at least two different levels of stiffness/compliance, and values for stiffness/compliance in the can be independently defined and set in at least first and second directions. Specifically, this allows the stiffness in said first direction to be set at a lower value than the stiffness in said second direction within the control system.

A robot arm processing system includes a robot arm, a processing module, and a control module. The robot arm is for providing a mechanical holding force. The processing module is disposed on the robot arm to process a workpiece. The control module is connected to the robot arm or the processing module. The control module outputs an anti-vibration signal according to the reaction force of the workpiece or the displacement of the robot arm to counteract the reaction force of the workpiece or the displacement of the robot arm.

A skill transfer mechanical apparatus includes an operating part, a controller, a motion information detector and an operation apparatus. The controller includes a basic motion instructing module, a learning module, a motion correcting instruction generator, a motion correcting instruction, and a motion information storing module. The learning module carries out machine learning of the motion correcting instruction stored in the motion correcting instruction storing module by using the motion information stored in the motion information storing module, and after the machine learning is finished, accepts an input of the motion information during the operation of the operating part, and outputs the automatic motion correcting instruction. The operating part moves the working part according to an automatic motion instruction based on the basic motion instruction and the automatic motion correcting instruction, and the manual motion correction.

Provided are an apparatus and method for controlling a robot. The apparatus includes an active force detector configured to detect an active force, to which a natural force caused by a physical interaction between a user and a robot and not reflecting an operation intention of the user is applied, applied by the user to the robot operating through the physical interaction with the user, a compensator configured to determine a compensation force for actively compensating for the natural force applied to the active force by using a method of optimizing an internal parameter of a predefined dynamics model, and a controller configured to determine an operation instruction for controlling an operation of the robot from a result obtained by applying the compensation force determined by the compensator to the active force detected by the active force detector and operate the robot.

A jointed mechanism includes a passive pendulum system attached to and suspended from the multi-axis robot. The system includes one or more position sensors configured to measure a joint angle on the pendulum system, at least one arm, and an end-effector attached to a distal end of the pendulum system. A controller implements a method to selectively control motion of the robot in a plurality of control modes. The control modes include a Cooperative Mode and an Autonomous Mode. The controller is configured to detect contact with the end-effector when operating in the Autonomous Mode, and to automatically initiate a control action in response to the contact. The pendulum system may be a parallelogram arrangement.

A robotic system includes a jointed mechanism, position sensors, and a controller. The mechanism has an end-effector, and further includes actively-controlled joints and passive joints that are redundant with the actively-controlled joints. The position sensors are operable for measuring joint positions of the passive joints. The controller is in communication with the position sensors, and is programmed to execute a method to selectively control the actively-controlled joints in response to the measured joint positions using force control and/or a modeled impedance of the robotic mechanism. Possible control modes in impedance control include an Autonomous Mode in which an operator does not physically interact with the end-effector and a Cooperative Control Mode in which the operator physically interacts with the end-effector.

A method of controlling a robot, the method including obtaining, by means of a proximity sensor on the robot, a distance value indicative of a distance between an object and the robot; obtaining, by means of a thermal sensor on the robot, a temperature value indicative of a temperature of the object; and controlling the robot to reduce its mechanical impedance if the distance value is smaller than a distance threshold value and the temperature value is higher than a temperature threshold value. A control system for controlling a robot, and a robot including the control system, are also provided.

A skill transfer mechanical apparatus includes an operating part, a controller, a motion information detector and an operation apparatus. The controller includes a basic motion instructing module, a learning module, a motion correcting instruction generator, a motion correcting instruction, and a motion information storing module. The learning module carries out machine learning of the motion correcting instruction stored in the motion correcting instruction storing module by using the motion information stored in the motion information storing module, and after the machine learning is finished, accepts an input of the motion information during the operation of the operating part, and outputs the automatic motion correcting instruction. The operating part moves the working part according to an automatic motion instruction based on the basic motion instruction and the automatic motion correcting instruction, and the manual motion correction.

A method for controlling a mechanical system having a plurality of components interlinked by a plurality of driven joints, the method comprising: measuring torques or forces about or at the driven joints and forming a load signal representing the measured torques or forces; receiving a motion demand signal representing a desired state of the system; implementing an impedance control algorithm in dependence on the motion demand signal and the load signal to form a target signal indicating a target configuration for each of the driven joints; measuring the configuration of each of the driven joints and forming a state signal representing the measured configurations; and forming a set of drive signals for the joints by, for each joint, comparing the target configuration of that joint as indicated by the target signal to the measured configuration of that joint as indicated by the state signal.

A robotic system for use with a payload includes a robot, a passive compliance mechanism, position sensors, and an electronic control unit (ECU). Actuated joints of the robot provide the robotic system with actuated degrees of freedom (DOF). The compliance mechanism is connected to the robot and payload, and has unactuated joints providing the robotic system with unactuated DOF. The sensors measure joint positions of the joints. The ECU has a trajectory generator block which generates a payload trajectory signal in response to dynamic control inputs, and an impedance control unit (ICU) applying damping and stiffness parameters to the payload trajectory signal to generate an initial velocity command. A stiction compensation block allows the robotic system to generate a velocity offset, and applies the velocity offset to the initial velocity command to produce a final velocity command for the robot.