A vertical surface cleaning device comprising a main body, a cleaning arm, a cleaning head, and leg mechanisms with grippers. The cleaning head applies a cleaning fluid on a surface to carry out a cleaning operation. A waste collector is provided to collect a waste material arising from the cleaning operation. The grippers may remain in a grip or in a release state. The segments of the leg mechanisms are articulatable to configure a first group of the leg mechanisms to stably hold the main body at a first place with the grippers remaining in the grip state. A second group of the leg mechanisms move in a desired direction with their grippers in release state while the first group stably holds the main body. The first group of the leg mechanisms then moves in the same direction while the second group holds the main body at a second place.

A soft actuator, comprising: a deformable member having a base stiffness; one or more electroadhesive (EA) clutches, the one or more EA clutches being in mechanical communication with the deformable member, and the one or more EA clutches being configured to, when actuated, give rise to a region of relative stiffness within the actuator that is greater than the base stiffness. A method, comprising: in a soft actuator, actuating one or more EA clutches in mechanical communication with a deformable member having a base stiffness, the actuating being performed so as to give rise to one or more regions of relative stiffness within the soft actuator that is greater than the base stiffness; and effecting a bending force within the deformable member such that the deformable member attains a shape, the shape at least partially defined by the actuated one or more EA clutches.

Control for pixelated electrostatic adhesion can be provided by a voltage converter configured to increase an input voltage to an output voltage; a first gripping circuit, configured to selectively provide the output voltage at a first polarity to a first subset of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes; a second gripping circuit, configured to selectively provide the output voltage at a second polarity opposite to the first polarity to a second subset of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes that are associated with and different from the first subset of electrodes; a first release circuit, configured to selectively reverse the output voltage provided to the first subset of electrodes to the second polarity; and a second release circuit, configured to selectively reverse the output voltage provided to the second subset of electrodes to the first polarity.

Provided is a composite sintered body for an electrostatic chuck, which is not easily broken even if it is exposed to high-power plasma. Further, provided are an electrostatic chuck device using such a composite sintered body for an electrostatic chuck and a method of manufacturing a composite sintered body for an electrostatic chuck. The composite sintered body for an electrostatic chuck is a composite sintered body including an insulating ceramic and silicon carbide, in which crystal grains of the silicon carbide are dispersed in at least one selected from the group consisting of a crystal grain boundary and a crystal grain of a main phase formed by sintering crystal grains of the insulating ceramic.

A method of generating an electrostatic attraction force includes an application of an insulating surface, wherein the insulating surface separates electrode arrays and the electrode arrays positioned in at least two different axes and providing an adhesion with an help of the electrostatic attraction force, wherein a matrix array is formed for an electrostatic attraction force region to provide gravity to at least one of objects, at a desired point and a number of electrodes is generated by feeding with a DC voltage and/or an AC voltage at desired points and at a desired force, wherein at least two objects adhere with the electrostatic attraction force.

An apparatus includes a drive; a movable arm connected to the drive and having a first link rotatable about the drive at a first rotary joint, a first actuator configured to cause a rotation of the first link about the first rotary joint, at least one second link connected to the first link at a second rotary joint, at least one second actuator configured to cause a rotation of the second link about the second rotary joint, and at least one gripper on the second link, the gripper being configured to carry a payload. The gripper includes a dielectric substrate, at least one electrode disposed on the dielectric substrate, the electrode being configured to produce an attractive force on a surface of the electrode to attract the payload, and a main electronic module configured to apply a voltage to the electrode from a source of current.

To provide an electrostatic attractor having excellent durability and capable of achieving more reliable attraction and gripping of an object to be attracted with electrostatic force. An electrostatic attractor includes a laminate sheet formed by sequentially laminating at least a first soft polymeric organic substance, an electrode, and a second soft polymeric organic substance, and a power source device configured to apply voltage to the electrode, electrostatic force generated by applying voltage to the electrode being used to attract and grasp an object to be attracted, with one of the soft polymeric organic substances as a contact surface, in which the first soft polymeric organic substance and/or the second soft polymeric organic substance have tensile modulus of 1 MPa or more and less than 100 MPa, and volume resistivity of 1×10.sup.8 to 10.sup.13 Ω.Math.cm, and the electrode is a fiber component subjected to electroconductive treatment. A robot hand includes the electrostatic attractor.

Provided is an electrostatic adsorption body capable of exhibiting a high adsorption force, especially with respect to a highly insulative sheet-like object to be adsorbed, such as a cloth, while using an electrical adsorption force. This electrostatic adsorption body, which uses electrostatic force to adsorb an object to be adsorbed, is provided with: a laminate sheet in which a 20-200 μm-thick insulator, a 1-20 μm-thick electrode layer, and a 20-200 μm-thick resin film are sequentially laminated; and a power supply device that applies a voltage to the electrode layer, wherein the resin film at least has a tensile modulus of 1 MPa or more and less than 100 MPa and a volume resistivity of 1×10.sup.10-10.sup.13 Ω cm, the electrode layer is composed of a bipolar electrode including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and an object to be adsorbed is adsorbed using the resin film as an adsorption surface due to an electrostatic adsorption force that is generated by applying a voltage to the electrode layer.

A hub assembly for coupling different grasper assemblies including a soft actuator in various configurations to a mechanical robotic components are described. Further described are soft actuators having various reinforcement. Further described are and soft actuators having electroadhesive pads for improved grip, and/or embedded electromagnets for interacting with complementary surfaces on the object being gripped. Still further described are soft actuators having reinforcement mechanisms for reducing or eliminating bowing in a strain limiting layer, or for reinforcing accordion troughs in the soft actuator body.

A device for electroadhesion and conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy, for example electrostatic actuation, is provided, including a soft polymeric dielectric support having at least two sets of overlapping electrodes patterned respectively on the upper surface and bottom surface of the polymeric support, the electrodes of the two sets can be electrically activated through a power supply for providing voltage change suitable for electroadhesion, electrostatic actuation or both at the same time.