An effector includes at least one contact surface configured to bear against a face of a workpiece near a zone of the workpiece that is impacted by a tool supported by the effector. The contact surface includes at least one interface made of a ductile material interposed between the contact surface and the face of the workpiece.

This disclosure sets forth a robotic end effector for acquiring and managing an article, such as an item of luggage. The robotic end effector can include an extendable arm comprising a first support member, a capture device comprising a guide member having a plurality of apertures formed therein with a rod slideably supported in each aperture of the guide member. The capture device can further include a biasing member associated with one or more rods and being configured to bias the one or more rods in a first direction relative to the guide member. The article interface system can include an actuatable article engagement device. The actuatable article engagement device can itself include an article interface surface. The actuatable article engagement device can be operated to interface with an article to facilitate movement of the article toward the capture device.

A method for processing a drilling location in a confined area of a workpiece along a drilling axis A using an end effector is disclosed. The method comprises positioning the end effector relative to the drilling location of the workpiece, clamping the workpiece between a clamp of the end effector and a pressure foot of the end effector, wherein the pressure foot supports the clamp movable relative to the pressure foot, and drilling the workpiece with a flat angle drill of the end effector.

An end effector system is disclosed for a robotic system that includes a primary acquisition system that includes a primary end effector, and a secondary retention system that substantially surrounds at least a portion of the primary acquisition system, wherein at least a portion of the primary acquisition system may be drawn up within at least a portion of the secondary retention system such that the primary end effector system may be used to select an object from a plurality of objects, and the secondary retention system may be used to secure the object for rapid transport to an output destination.

The stack gripper is provided in a robot to pick up and transport a box stack includes a fixing frame connected to a robot, a fixing panel provided at a lower portion of the fixing frame, a horizontal pressing member provided at the lower portion of the fixing frame to face the fixing panel and to be moved horizontally on the fixing frame, a vertical pressing member provided at a lower portion of the fixing frame to be moved vertically, and a fork member provided at the fixing frame to face the vertical pressing member and to be moved horizontally on the fixing frame.

The present invention relates to a stack gripper. The stack gripper provided in a robot to pick up and transport a box stack includes a fixing frame connected to a robot, a fixing panel provided at a lower portion of the fixing frame, a horizontal pressing member provided at the lower portion of the fixing frame to face the fixing panel and to be moved horizontally on the fixing frame, a vertical pressing member provided at a lower portion of the fixing frame to be moved vertically, and a fork member provided at the fixing frame to face the vertical pressing member and to be moved horizontally on the fixing frame.

One example of the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for processing a workpiece along a drilling axis, the apparatus comprising an end effector. The end effector comprises a pressure foot, a clamp linearly movable relative to the pressure foot along the drilling axis, and a flat angle drill linearly movable relative to the pressure foot along the drilling axis.

An object retrieval device and associated methods of operation and manufacture are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the object retrieval device comprises a grasping member having one or more elongated members integrally formed therein. The grasping member can be coupled to an elongated support member. In turn, the elongated support member can support an elongated actuator allowing actuation of the grasping member.

A drive device (7) that unwinds, in a first direction, a wire (WR) connected to an operation target (41, 551, 552) with predetermined tension and pulls the wire in a direction opposite to the first direction to cause the operation target to perform an action includes a motor (71), a first rotating member (74) that can be rotated by the motor in a second direction and in a direction opposite to the second direction about a rotation axis (Rx5), a pulling member (TM) that is provided rotatably coaxially with the first rotating member, holds an end (WR1) of the wire, rotates in the second direction to unwind the wire in the first direction, and rotates in the direction opposite to the second direction to pull the wire in the direction opposite to the first direction, and a pulling member side urging member (77) that urges the pulling member in the direction opposite to the second direction relative to the first rotating member, in which, when the wire is moved in the first direction due to an external factor, the pulling member rotates in the second direction against an urging force of the pulling member side urging member, to unwind the wire in the first direction.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods, computer program products, and computer systems of a robotic apparatus with robotic instructions replicating a food preparation recipe. In one embodiment, a robotic control platform, comprises one or more sensors; a mechanical robotic structure including one or more end effectors, and one or more robotic arms; an electronic library database of minimanipulations; a robotic planning module configured for real-time planning and adjustment based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors in an electronic multi-stage process file, the electronic multi-stage process recipe file including a sequence of minimanipulations and associated timing data; a robotic interpreter module configured for reading the minimanipulation steps from the minimanipulation library and converting to a machine code; and a robotic execution module configured for executing the minimanipulation steps by the robotic platform to accomplish a functional result.