A method of footstep contact detection includes receiving joint dynamics for a swing leg of the robot where the swing leg performs a swing phase of a gait of the robot. The method also includes receiving odometry defining an estimation of a pose of the robot and determining whether an unexpected torque on the swing leg corresponds to an impact on the swing leg. When the unexpected torque corresponds to the impact, the method further includes determining whether the impact is indicative of a touchdown of the swing leg on a ground surface based on the odometry and the joint dynamics. When the impact is not indicative of the touchdown of the swing leg, the method includes classifying a cause of the impact based on the odometry of the robot and the joint dynamics of the swing leg.

In a system including a robot and a controller controlling the robot, the controller switches the robot from a first state to a second state in which orientation change in accordance with external force applied to the robot is more tolerated than the first state based on detection of contact of an object with the robot. The controller switches the robot from the second state to a third state in which the orientation change in accordance with the external force is more restricted than the second state after the orientation change in accordance with the external force applied to the robot is started and while the external force is being applied to the robot.

A robot control method for controlling a robot is provided. The robot has a robot arm and a force detection unit detecting a force applied to the robot arm and grips a target object conveyed on a belt with an end effector provided at the robot arm. The method includes: a gripping step of executing an operation of gripping the target object with the end effector; and a determination step of determining whether the gripping of the target object is normally performed or not, based on a result of detection by the force detection unit in the gripping step.

A robot system includes a robot including a reduction gear and an encoder, and a processing portion configured to obtain a torque value by using phase information based on a detection signal of the encoder. The encoder includes a scale including a pattern portion, and a head configured to read the pattern portion of the scale and output the detection signal. The processing portion is configured to obtain a first displacement amount of the scale in a first direction that is a relative direction with respect to the head. The processing portion is configured to obtain a second displacement amount of the scale in a second direction that is a relative direction with respect to the head and intersecting with the first direction. The processing portion is configured to obtain the torque value on a basis of the first displacement amount and the second displacement amount.

Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for detection of undesirable forces on one or more surgical robotic arms. In one aspect, there is provided a system including a robotic arm, including: two linkages, a joint, a torque sensor, and an instrument device manipulator (IDM). The system may further include a processor configured to measure a first torque value at the joint based on an output of the torque sensor and determine a second torque value at the joint based on a position of the robotic arm. The second torque value may be indicative of a gravitational component of the torque between the two linkages. The processor may be further configured to determine a force at the IDM based a difference between the first and second torque values and determine whether the robotic arm has collided with an object or misaligned based on the force at the IDM.

A method of controlling a robot having a plurality of joints includes measuring load torque applied to a driving-force transmission system of each of the plurality of joints while moving a hand of the robot along a predetermined path, comparing a measurement value of the load torque and an allowable range of each of the joints, and controlling a rate of change in acceleration of the driving-force transmission system of each of the joints, depending on a comparison result, in a next operation in which the hand of the robot is moved along the predetermined path.

Provided is a surgical imaging apparatus that includes a multi-link, multi joint structure including a plurality of joints that interconnect a plurality of links to provide the multi-link, multi joint structure with a plurality of degrees of freedom, at least one video camera being disposed on a distal end of the multi-link, multi-joint structure; at least one actuator that drives at least one of the plurality of joints; and circuitry that detects a joint force experienced at the at least one of the plurality of joints in response to an applied external force, and controls the at least one actuator based on the joint force so as to position the video camera.

A robot system (1) includes the robot (10), a motion sensor (11), a surrounding environment sensor (12, 13), an operation apparatus (21), a learning control section (41), and a relay apparatus (30). The robot (10) performs work based on an operation command. The operation apparatus (21) detects and outputs an operator-operating force applied by the operator. The learning control section (41) outputs a calculation operating force. The relay apparatus (30) outputs the operation command based on the operator-operating force and the calculation operating force. The learning control section (41) estimates and outputs the calculation operating force by using a model constructed by performing the machine learning of the operator-operating force, the surrounding environment data, the operation data, and the operation command based on the operation data and the surrounding environment data outputted by the sensors (11 to 13), and the operation command outputted by the relay apparatus (30).

The present disclosure relates to a robot teaching system, which moves a robot according to an external force applied from the outside so that the robot has a location and posture intended for teaching and then teaches a location and posture of the moved robot, and the robot teaching system comprises: an arm including a plurality of articular shafts and a plurality of links connected by the plurality of articular shafts; a plurality of strain gauges respectively coupled to frames of the plurality of links to measure a deformation value of the link that is deformed by the external force; and a calculating device configured to estimate the external force from the deformation value of the link obtained by the plurality of strain gauges, calculate a teaching force from the external force and move the robot by an operation corresponding to the teaching force.

A robot balance control method includes: obtaining force information associated with a left foot and a right foot of the robot; calculating a zero moment point of a center of mass (COM) of a body of the robot based on the force information; calculating a first position offset and a second position offset of the robot according to the zero moment point of the COM of the body; updating a position trajectory of the robot according to the first position offset and the second offset to obtain an updated position of the COM of the body; performing inverse kinematics analysis on the updated position of the COM of the body to obtain joint angles of the left leg and the right leg of the robot; and controlling the robot to move according to the joint angles.