Exemplary embodiments relate to pressurizable housings for a soft robotic actuator. The pressurized housings may be divided into an upper chamber in fluid communication with an internal void of the actuator, and a lower chamber connected to an inlet and an outlet. The upper chamber and lower chamber may be separated by a piston. By supplying a fluid to the lower chamber via the inlet, the piston is moved into the space previously occupied by the upper chamber, which reduces the volume of the upper chamber and increases the pressure in the internal void. This action allows the actuator to be rapidly inflated, and further simplifies the pressurization system and reduces its weight.

According to one embodiment, a gripping tool includes a gripper and a suction pad. The gripper is flexible. A granular material is provided in an interior of the gripper. The suction pad includes a pad portion and a pipe-shaped member and is surrounded with the gripper. The pad portion suctions a workpiece. The pipe-shaped member is connected to the pad portion. The suction pad is movable with respect to the gripper in a first direction. The first direction is from the pad portion toward the pipe-shaped member.

Vacuum powered tool that is connectable to a vacuum source and arranged in an object engagement position to engage and hold an object as a result of a negative pressure in the tool as well as to resiliently return to an initial position when the negative pressure ceases. The tool comprises an object handling engagement part, wherein the tool, in a first end, has a fitting to be fixedly received in a vacuum connection implement for fixation of the tool, and in a second end of the tool, wherein the second end is formed for air-proof contact and provided with an at least partly flexible and collapsible spherical hollow inner geometry onto which at least partly spherical and collapsible hollow inner geometry having a collapsible part.

According to one embodiment, a gripping tool includes a gripper. The gripper is flexible. A granular material is provided in an interior of the gripper. The gripper is configured to grip a workpiece by being in close contact with the workpiece in a state in which an outer perimeter of the gripper is held, and by the interior of the gripper being depressurized.

A robot hand apparatus includes a first holder having a first sucking surface that is bendable at any position and configured to suck an object using negative pressure; a second holder arranged to oppose the first sucking surface of the first holder; and a driving mechanism configured to change a distance between the first holder and the second holder to sandwich the object between the first holder and the second holder.

Provided is a machine tool hand including a body portion that is mounted so as to be attachable to and detachable from a spindle of a machine tool, and that is provided with a flow path connected to a coolant-liquid supply path formed in the spindle; and two or more hand members that are attached to the body portion such that at least one of the hand members is pivotable about a prescribed axis, and that are capable of gripping an object therebetween by being closed. The flow path is provided with discharge ports via which a coolant liquid supplied from the coolant-liquid supply path is discharged toward surfaces of the hand members that are exposed to an outside, and a pressure of the coolant liquid causes an opening operation or a closing operation of the hand members.

A lifting system for post frame construction comprises a winch system coupled to a frame, a first bracket configured to be secured to a portion of a roof framing system, and a pulley system comprising at least two pulley wheels mounted on a second bracket. The frame is configured to be secured to a lower portion of a column of a building structure and the second bracket is configured to be secured to a top of the column.

A soft actuator for a suction-cup end effector bends or deforms in response to air pressure within bladders in the actuator. The walls of the air bladders, upon pressurization, expand to contact adjacent structure, such as other expanding air bladders, to move a constraining layer of the actuator from a rest position toward an actuated position. A gripper for engaging items is formed by the soft actuator and a suction cup.

A manipulator configured for transferring a block having a core, the manipulator includes an end effector including an elongated member including a tip; and a resilient member configured for assuming a first state in which the resilient member has a first hardness and first size and a second state in which the resilient member is configured for assuming a second state in which the resilient member has a second hardness and second size, the resilient member is disposed on the tip, wherein the elongated member is configured to be disposed such that the tip is disposed within the core and the resilient member is disposed in the first state before the resilient member is disposed in the second state to engage the core and the elongated member is moved to transfer the block.

This gripping hand has a base member and a number of fingers arranged about an axis line passing through the base member, wherein each of the fingers has a flexible finger part having flexibility and a finger base member for supporting the basal end side of the flexible finger part, the gripping hand is provided with a number of link mechanisms that are supported by the base member and that support the respective number of finger base members, and each of the link mechanisms allows the finger base member supported thereby to move relative to the base member such that the orientation of the finger base member supported thereby does not substantially change relative to the base member.