A flexible-manipulator control device that controls, according to a control parameter, a drive of a flexible manipulator having a movable part at a distal end of a flexible insertion portion to be inserted into the body and having, at a proximal end thereof, the drive for driving the movable part, includes: a physical-information storage unit that stores physical information of a patient into which the insertion portion is inserted; a position-information input unit to which is input position information of the movable part in a state in which it is inserted into the patient; and a parameter adjustment unit that adjusts the control parameter on the basis of the physical information stored in the physical-information storage unit and the position information input to the position-information input unit.

A tool assembly includes a first selectively flexible tool including a first plurality of sequentially arranged links moveable between a slacked position and a tensioned position; and a second selectively flexible tool including a second plurality of sequentially arranged links moveable between a slacked position and a tensioned position, the second plurality of sequentially arranged links moveable over or through the first plurality of sequentially arranged links.

A robot includes an input link, an output link, and a wire routing. The output link is coupled to the input link at an inline twist joint where the output link is configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the output link relative to the input link. The wire routing traverses the inline twist joint to couple the input link and the output link. The wire routing includes an input link section, an output link section, and an omega section. A first position of the wire routing coaxially aligns at a start of the omega section on the input link with a second position of the wire routing at an end of the omega section on an output link.

The present invention relates to a variable rigidity robot joint system including a first driving module and a second driving module generating torque which is rotated on a first direction, a first rotating module changing rotations of the first driving module and the second driving module into rotations on a second direction intersecting the first direction when the first and second driving modules rotate in directions in which a joint is rotated in a same direction, thereby rotating the joint, a rigidity-providing member providing rigidity by elastically supporting a rotational movement of the first rotating module on the second direction, and a second rotating module changing rotations of the first driving module and the second driving module into a linear motion in the first direction when the first and second driving modules rotate in directions in which the joint is rotated in different directions.

In a linear expansion mechanism, high rigidity is secured in all directions of orthogonal axes without any constraint on installation posture. The linear expansion mechanism includes: a block train made up of a plurality of blocks coupled along a coupling direction; a housing for containing the block train; a mechanism configured to deliver and draw the block train along the coupling direction; and a fixing mechanism configured to fix a relative position of a leading end position of the block train delivered from the housing relative to an entrance/exit position Pe located on the housing at which the block train enters and exits the housing with respect to directions orthogonal to the coupling direction of the block train.

An objective of the present invention is to reduce the downtime which occurs when changing a servo motor device. A servo motor device includes a motor section and a reduction gear configured to output a driving force by reducing a speed of rotation of the motor section, wherein a control device includes a detecting section configured to acquire detected information about operation of the motor section, and a computing section configured to generate an approximate curve based on a behavior for a time sequence of a parameter and to calculate predicted lifetime information of the servo motor device based on the approximate curve thus generated, wherein the parameter has been calculated by means of the detected information.

A gear device includes an internal gear, an external gear having flexibility configured to partially mesh with the internal gear and rotate around a rotation axis relatively to the internal gear, and a wave generator configured to come into contact with an inner circumferential surface of the external gear and move a meshing position of the internal gear and the external gear in a circumferential direction around the rotation axis. The external gear includes a cylindrical section including a first end portion with which the wave generator is in contact and a second end portion adjacent to the first end portion along the rotation axis. An inner circumferential surface of the first end portion includes a polished surface. An inner circumferential surface of the second end portion includes a lathe-cut surface.

A robotic system includes a robotic arm and a movable hardstop disposed proximate to the robotic arm. The movable hardstop is separated from the robotic arm by at least one clearance in a first operating condition. The movable hardstop physically contacts the robotic arm in a second operating condition. The robotic system also includes one or more controllers configured to control movement of the robotic arm and movement of the movable hardstop such that the first operating condition is maintained or such that, if the second operating condition occurs, the hardtop blocks movement of the robotic arm.

A method includes accessing RGB and depth image data representing a scene that includes at least a portion of a robotic limb. Using this data, a computing system may segment the image data to isolate and identify at least a portion of the robotic limb within the scene. The computing system can determine a current pose of the robotic limb within the scene based on the image data, joint data, or a 3D virtual model of the robotic limb. The computing system may then determine a desired goal pose, which may be based on the image data or the 3D virtual model. Based on the determined goal pose, the computing device determines the difference between the current pose and the goal pose of the robotic limb, and using this difference, provides a pose adjustment that for the robotic limb.

Embodiments relate to robotic arm assemblies. The robotic arm assembly includes an end-effector assembly. The end-effector assembly includes an instrument assembly. The instrument assembly includes an instrument and instrument driven portion. The elongated body includes an instrument central axis. The instrument driven portion includes a first central axis. The instrument driven portion is secured to a proximal end of the instrument in such a way that, when the instrument driven portion is driven to rotate, the instrument rotates relative to the first central axis. The end-effector assembly includes an instrument drive assembly. The instrument drive assembly includes an instrument drive portion. The instrument drive portion includes a second central axis. The instrument drive portion is configured to drive the instrument driven portion to rotate the distal end of the instrument relative to the first central axis. The second central axis intersects with and orthogonal to the first central axis.