The invention relates to a joint arrangement having at least one driven axis, in particular for activating a movement of a component of a robot, wherein a first base element (15) receives a first rotary element (16), and the first rotary element (16) is rotatable about a first axis of rotation (14), the first rotary element (16) receives a second axis of rotation (18), separate from the first axis of rotation (14) and about which a second rotary element (22) is pivotably mounted on the first rotary element (16), the second rotary element (22) has a third axis of rotation (25) separate from the second axis of rotation (18) and about which a second base element (26) is rotatable with respect to the second rotary element (22), the second axis of rotation (18) has an axial offset (19) in relation to the first axis of rotation (14), and the second axis of rotation (18) is inclined with respect to the first axis of rotation (14), and the first and second axes of rotation (14, 18) have a point of intersection (29) which lies outside the joint arrangement (11).

A medical system includes a manipulator arm including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and joints between the distal portion and the base. A processor coupled to the manipulator arm performs operations including calculating a first movement of the joints in a null-space of a Jacobian of the manipulator arm, the first movement being calculated in accordance with a first objective for arm-to-patient collision avoidance. The operations further include calculating a second movement of the joints in the null-space, the second movement being calculated in accordance with a second objective for arm-to-arm collision avoidance, and combining at least the first and second movements into a combined movement in a manner allowing the first objective to overpower the second objective, and driving the joints to effect the combined movement.

A mobile robot is configured for operation in a commercial or industrial setting, such as an office building or retail store. The mobile robot can have a motorized base and a robot body on the motorized base, the robot body including a rotatable ring that rotates horizontally around the robot body. A mechanical arm that can contract and extend relative to the robot body is coupled to the rotatable ring and performs a plurality of actions. A controller of the mobile robot provides instructions to the rotatable ring and the mechanical arm and can cause the mechanical arm to open a door, take an elevator to move to a different floor, and test whether a door is locked properly.

Provided is a parallel link device that has an RCM structure and can drive translation and rotation independently.

The parallel link device includes: an actuation unit that has a base portion, an end portion, and a plurality of link portions configured to couple the base portion and the end portion and drives the link portion using a first actuator mounted on the base portion to actuate the end portion with respect to the base portion; and a transmission unit that transmits drive of a second actuator mounted on the base portion to a mechanism portion mounted on the end portion along each of at least two of the plurality of link portions.

A robotic surgical system includes a surgical tool including a drive housing having first and second ends, a carriage movably mounted to the drive housing, and an elongate shaft extending from the carriage and penetrating the first end, the shaft having an end effector arranged at a distal end. An instrument driver is arranged at an end of a robotic arm and includes a body having proximal and distal ends and defining a central aperture extending between the proximal and distal ends, the shaft and the end effector penetrate the instrument driver by extending through the central aperture, an outer housing extending between the proximal and distal ends, a tool drive assembly provided at the proximal end and extending into the outer housing, and a drive motor operatively coupled to the tool drive assembly and operable to cause the tool drive assembly to rotate relative to the outer housing.

A manipulator for a surgical instrument may comprise an instrument holder coupled with the surgical instrument and rotatable in a plane that passes through a remote center. The manipulator may also comprise a linkage assembly coupled to the instrument holder to limit motion of the instrument holder to rotation about an axis that intersects the remote center. The linkage assembly may comprise a first linkage arm comprising first and second pulleys. Each pulley may comprise first and second drive tracks which are substantially co-planar. The first linkage arm may also comprise a first drive member section extending between the first drive tracks of the pulleys and a second drive member section extending between the second drive tracks of the pulleys. The first drive member section may be wound around the first pulley in a first direction and the second drive member section may be wound around the first pulley in an opposite direction.

The invention relates to a curved spherical scissors linkage mechanism (1) comprising at least four linkage elements (2) each having a first end (3) and a second end (4); the linkage elements are arranged to form sides of one rhombus or parallelogram, or a series, such as a network, of joined rhombi or parallelograms. Each of the linkage elements is rotationally connected to one of the other linkage elements via a revolute joint (5) at or near the first end and is rotationally connected to another one of the other linkage elements via another revolute joint at or near the second end. The linkage elements are shaped, dimensioned and arranged so that the axes of all the revolute joints coincide at one common remote centre of motion (RCM). Furthermore, the mechanism is grounded or connected or connectable to a first external member (7) at a proximal end and is rotationally connected or connectable to a second external member (9) at an opposite distal end. Hereby a spherical linkage mechanism with three DOFs is obtained. The spherical scissors linkage mechanism may further comprise a motion controlling mechanism at the proximal and/or at the distal end. It further comprises actuator means as control means.

Disclosed herein are gross positioning systems for use with robotic surgical devices to provide gross positioning of the robotic surgical devices. The gross positioning systems have a base, a first arm link operably coupled to the base, a second arm link operably coupled to the first arm link, a third arm link operably coupled to the second arm link, and a slidable coupling component slidably coupled to the third arm link.

A manipulator for articulating a surgical instrument may comprise an instrument holder configured to couple with the surgical instrument and to pivot about a remote center of motion. The manipulator may comprise a linkage assembly coupled to the instrument holder and configured to constrain rotational motion of the instrument holder to pivot about the remote center of motion. The linkage assembly may comprise a first, second, and third linkage arms. The second linkage arm may be rotatably coupled to the first linkage arm with a proximal end of the first linkage arm and a proximal end of the second linkage arm coupled at a proximal pivot joint. A third linkage arm may be translationally coupled to the second linkage arm. Movement of the second linkage arm and the third linkage arm may cause a distal end of the third linkage arm to trace an arc around the remote center of motion.

A remote center manipulator for use in minimally invasive robotic surgery includes a base link held stationary relative to a patient, an instrument holder, and a linkage coupling the instrument holder to the base link. First and second links of the linkage are coupled to limit motion of the second link to rotation about a first axis intersecting a remote center of manipulation. A parallelogram linkage portion of the linkage pitches the instrument holder around a second axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation. The second axis is angularly offset from the first axis by a non-zero angle other than 90 degrees.