Medical, surgical, and/or robotic devices and systems often including offset remote center parallelogram manipulator linkage assemblies which constrains a position of a surgical instrument during minimally invasive robotic surgery are disclosed. The improved remote center manipulator linkage assembly advantageously enhances the range of instrument motion while at the same time reduces the overall complexity, size, and physical weight of the robotic surgical system.

A method for deburring an aeronautical part with an articulated tooling including a plurality of axes of rotation, the aeronautical part including at least one edge to be deburred, the articulated tooling including a tool holder, holding a calibration tool and a machining tool, the calibration tool and the machining tool being fixed to the tool holder and being immovable relative to one another, the method including steps of calibrating the calibration tool and the machining tool, of parameterizing the aeronautical part, of deburring the at least one edge to be deburred with the machining tool moving along a predetermined trajectory, on the basis of the parameters obtained during the parameterization step.

A substrate transport apparatus having a frame, a drive section and an articulated arm. The drive section has at least one motor module that is selectable for placement in the drive section from a number of different interchangeable motor modules. Each having a different predetermined characteristic. The articulated arm has articulated joints. The arm is connected to the drive section for articulation. The arm has a selectable configuration selectable from a number of different arm configurations each having a predetermined configuration characteristic. The selection of the arm configuration is effected by selection of the at least one motor module for placement in the drive section.

An apparatus having a drive unit having a first drive axis rotatable about a first axis of rotation and a second drive axis rotatable about a second axis of rotation, the second drive axis being coaxial with and partially within the first drive axis and axially rotatable within the first drive axis. A robot arm has an upper arm connected to the drive unit at the first drive axis, a forearm coupled to the upper arm, the forearm being coupled to the upper arm at a first rotary joint and rotatable about the first rotary joint, the first rotary joint being actuatable by a first band arrangement coupled to the second drive axis, and an end effector coupled to the forearm.

A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, a drive section connected to the frame and including at least one independently controllable motor, at least two substrate transport arms connected to the frame and comprising arm links arranged for supporting and transporting substrates, and a mechanical motion switch coupled to the at least one independently controllable motor and the at least two substrate transport arms for effecting the extension and retraction of one of the at least two substrate transport arms while the other one of the at least two substrate transport arms remains in a substantially retracted configuration.

A system comprises an arm including a bendable section and a force transmission mechanism. The system also comprises an actuation mechanism coupled to the force transmission mechanism to bend the bendable section. The system also comprises an electronic data processor configured to receive sensor data about the bendable section and determine external force information about at least one of a magnitude or a direction of an external force applied to the arm from the sensor data. the processor is also configured to determine a pose of the bendable section from the sensor data and generate control information for the actuation mechanism to maintain the pose of the bendable section in a stationary configuration as the external force is applied to or withdrawn from the arm.

A medical instrument may include multiple joint members and at least two pairs of tendons connected with the joint members and adapted to move at least one of the joint members relative to at least one other joint member. Each joint member may include a main structural body that may be a single piece and includes at least one convex contact surface. A main portion of each tendon contacts the medical instrument only on the convex contact surfaces.

A wire-driven manipulator including a driver, a first deforming section including a first distal member, a plurality of first guide members, and a plurality of first wires, and a second deforming section provided between the first deforming section and the driver with the second deforming section including a second distal member, a plurality of second guide members, and a plurality of second wires. The plurality of first wires are fixed to the first distal member, and at least one of the plurality of first wires is further fixed to the plurality of first guide members and other wires of the plurality of the first wires are slidable with respect to the plurality of first guide members. The plurality of second wires are fixed to the second distal member, and at least one of the plurality of second wires is further fixed to the plurality of second guide members and the other wires of the plurality of the first wires are slidable with respect to the plurality of second guide members. In addition, the length of the first deforming section is shorter than the length of the second deforming section.

A substrate transport apparatus having a drive section and a scara arm operably connected to the drive section to move the scara arm. The scara arm has an upper arm and at least one forearm. The forearm is movably mounted to the upper arm and capable of holding a substrate thereon. The upper arm is substantially rigid and is adjustable for changing a predetermined dimension of the upper arm.

An automatically positionable joint for a modular tooling assembly includes a first joint member; a second joint member that is rotatably connected to the first joint member; a motor for causing rotation of the first joint member with respect to the second joint member; and a first clutch that is movable between an engaged position in which the first clutch restrains rotation of the first joint member with respect to the second joint member and a disengaged position in which the first clutch permits rotation of the first joint member with respect to the second joint member.