A tendon-driven robotic gripper is disclosed for performing fingertip and enveloping grasps. One embodiment comprises two fingers, each with two links, and is actuated using a single active tendon. During unobstructed closing, the distal links remain parallel, creating exact fingertip grasps. Conversely, if the proximal links are stopped by contact with an object, the distal links start flexing, creating a stable enveloping grasp. The route of the active tendon and the parameters of the springs providing passive extension forces are optimized in order to achieve this behavior. An additional passive tendon is disclosed that may be used as a constraint preventing the gripper from entering undesirable parts of the joint workspace. A method for optimizing the dimensions of the links in order to achieve enveloping grasps of a large range of objects is disclosed and applied to a set of common household objects.

A tendon-driven robotic gripper is disclosed for performing fingertip and enveloping grasps. One embodiment comprises two fingers, each with two links, and is actuated using a single active tendon. During unobstructed closing, the distal links remain parallel, creating exact fingertip grasps. Conversely, if the proximal links are stopped by contact with an object, the distal links start flexing, creating a stable enveloping grasp. The route of the active tendon and the parameters of the springs providing passive extension forces are optimized in order to achieve this behavior. An additional passive tendon is disclosed that may be used as a constraint preventing the gripper from entering undesirable parts of the joint workspace. A method for optimizing the dimensions of the links in order to achieve enveloping grasps of a large range of objects is disclosed and applied to a set of common household objects.

A robot includes: a moving mechanism; an elevating mechanism including columnar members; a table which is elevated and lowered by the elevating mechanism and on which various objects can be placed; an arm base which is elevated and lowered by the elevating mechanism; arms attached to the arm base; a sensor which detects an object placed on the table and the surrounding area of the robot; and a controller. A circumscribed space circumscribing the robot except for the arms is in the shape of a cuboid having a bottom face that is a face of a quadrilateral that circumscribes, in a top view, the shape of the robot except for the arms. The arms have a structure capable of accessing the outside of the circumscribed space.

A robot includes: a moving mechanism; an elevating mechanism including columnar members; a table which is elevated and lowered by the elevating mechanism and on which various objects can be placed; an arm base which is elevated and lowered by the elevating mechanism; arms attached to the arm base; a sensor which detects an object placed on the table and the surrounding area of the robot; and a controller. A circumscribed space circumscribing the robot except for the arms is in the shape of a cuboid having a bottom face that is a face of a quadrilateral that circumscribes, in a top view, the shape of the robot except for the arms. The arms have a structure capable of accessing the outside of the circumscribed space.

A robot includes: an arm; a hand including a first finger and a second finger, wherein the first finger includes a first sensor and the second finger includes a second sensor; and a processor configured to: based on sensing an object through the first sensor while the robot is moving to grip the object, activate the second sensor, receive, from the first sensor and the second sensor, distance information including a plurality of pairs of distance values, wherein each respective pair of distance values of the plurality of pairs of distance values includes a first distance between the first sensor and the object and a second distance between the second sensor and the object, and each respective pair of distance values corresponds to a respective position of the hand relative to the object, and control the first finger and the second finger to grip the object based on the distance information.

A robot includes: an arm; a hand including a first finger and a second finger, wherein the first finger includes a first sensor and the second finger includes a second sensor; and a processor configured to: based on sensing an object through the first sensor while the robot is moving to grip the object, activate the second sensor, receive, from the first sensor and the second sensor, distance information including a plurality of pairs of distance values, wherein each respective pair of distance values of the plurality of pairs of distance values includes a first distance between the first sensor and the object and a second distance between the second sensor and the object, and each respective pair of distance values corresponds to a respective position of the hand relative to the object, and control the first finger and the second finger to grip the object based on the distance information.

The present disclosure describes a method for replacing a photoresist (PR) bottle using a vehicle. An exemplary vehicle includes a processor configured to receive a request signal to replace a first PR bottle. The processor is also configured to transmit an order based on the request signal. The vehicle also includes a plurality of wheels configured to move the vehicle from the first location to a second location, and from the second location to the first location. The vehicle further includes a robotic arm configured to load, at the first location, the first PR bottle into a first container; load a second PR bottle in a second container; remove a cap from the second PR bottle and a socket from the first PR bottle; couple the socket of the first PR bottle to the second PR bottle; and unload the second PR bottle from the second container.

The present disclosure describes a method for replacing a photoresist (PR) bottle using a vehicle. An exemplary vehicle includes a processor configured to receive a request signal to replace a first PR bottle. The processor is also configured to transmit an order based on the request signal. The vehicle also includes a plurality of wheels configured to move the vehicle from the first location to a second location, and from the second location to the first location. The vehicle further includes a robotic arm configured to load, at the first location, the first PR bottle into a first container; load a second PR bottle in a second container; remove a cap from the second PR bottle and a socket from the first PR bottle; couple the socket of the first PR bottle to the second PR bottle; and unload the second PR bottle from the second container.

The gripping mechanism is a gripping mechanism for gripping a cuvette T, the gripping mechanism comprising: a sandwiching section 50 for holding the cuvette T in a laterally sandwiching manner; a pressing section 60 for pressing downward an upper end surface of the cuvette T held in a sandwiching manner by the sandwiching section 50, wherein the pressing section 60 is arranged such that, with the cuvette T being held in a sandwiching manner by the sandwiching section 50, a central axis of the cuvette T along a vertical direction coincides mutually with a central axis of the pressing section 60 in the vertical direction.

The gripping mechanism is a gripping mechanism for gripping a cuvette T, the gripping mechanism comprising: a sandwiching section 50 for holding the cuvette T in a laterally sandwiching manner; a pressing section 60 for pressing downward an upper end surface of the cuvette T held in a sandwiching manner by the sandwiching section 50, wherein the pressing section 60 is arranged such that, with the cuvette T being held in a sandwiching manner by the sandwiching section 50, a central axis of the cuvette T along a vertical direction coincides mutually with a central axis of the pressing section 60 in the vertical direction.