A robot with an impact buffering member on the surface of a robot arm for alleviating the impact when the arm contacts an object; and a contact detection unit for detecting a contact between the robot arm and object. The unit has a soft porous member on the front surface side of the impact buffering member and softer than the member; a housing member including the soft porous member and formed of a flexible material; a fluid discharge pipe for discharging a fluid inside the housing member when the object makes contact so the volume of the housing member decreases; and a volume change detection portion for detecting a change in volume of the housing member by utilizing the discharged fluid. It is possible to secure sufficient safety in a cooperative work between a person and a robot or the like, even when the person contacts the robot arm.

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 soft robot having an integrated electrical component includes an expandable or collapsible body, the body comprising an inlet that is configured to communicate with a fluid source and a flexible strain limited layer secured to a portion of the expandable or collapsible body, wherein the strain limited layer includes at least one electrical component.

A device for use in handling a load and a method for producing the device are provided. The device comprises a three-dimensional framework that comprises a plurality of single parts, a cover made of a fiber-reinforced plastics with which the framework is covered, and at least one mounting unit for a handling unit for handling a part that is useable in the production of an object and that forms the load.

A wiring structure for a robot arm includes a pair of arm members that each have a hollow shaft shape including a first end section and a second end section, and that are arranged to be parallel to each other. A wire-shaped body is introduced into the arm member from the first end section and led out of the arm member through the second end section so as to penetrate at least one of the pair of arm members in an axis direction of the arm member. A regulating member is provided at least in an intermediate region of the arm member in the longitudinal direction to regulate a displacement of the wire-shaped body within the arm member in a radial direction of the arm member.

A light emitting capacitor can include a first and second electrode, an electroluminescent layer, and at least one elastomeric layer. The electroluminescent layer, which can include an elastomeric material doped with semiconducting nanoparticles, can be disposed between the first and second electrodes. The elastomeric layer can encapsulate the first electrode, second electrode, and electroluminescent layer. The first and second electrodes can be hydrogel or conductive electrodes. The light emitting capacitor can provide dynamic coloration or sensory feedback. The light emitting capacitor can be used in, for example, robotics, wearables (displays, sensors, textiles), and fashion.

An apparatus for loading/unloading workpieces, including a furnace heating a workpiece, and a robot loading and/or unloading a workpiece into/from the furnace. The robot may include a manipulator linkage and a fork at an end of the manipulator linkage. The fork may have an upper side on which a workpiece is placed while being loaded into and/or unloaded from the furnace. The fork may include a parallel arrangement of fork elements, each fork element in the fork having a length and rectangular cross section perpendicular to the length. Each fork element may have a workpiece carrying surface on which a workpiece is placed and an opposite surface to the workpiece carrying surface. The fork element may include a heat insulator disposed on the workpiece carrying surface at least over an area where a workpiece is placed to equalize longitudinal thermal expansions in the workpiece carrying surface and the opposite surface.

Provided is a robot arm that is provided with mounting interface portions at both ends of a long resin arm body. Each of the mounting interface portions is provided with: a connecting section that is formed of resin and that is connected to the arm body; and a metal member that is embedded in the resin, which forms the connecting section, and that forms a mounting surface. The metal member is provided with a through-hole that penetrates therethrough in the plate-thickness direction and through which a mounting screw passes, and is embedded in the resin while exposing the mounting surface and a seating surface, for the mounting screw, around the through-hole, the seating surface being located at the opposite side from the mounting surface.

Provided is a transport apparatus which exhibits a strong gripping force, hardly contaminates an object being transported, and has excellent heat resistance. Also provided are a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing an optical member in which the object is transported at high speed. The transport apparatus of the present invention includes a transport member comprising a carrying member and a mounting member; the mounting member includes a fibrous columnar structure; the fibrous columnar structure includes a fibrous columnar structure including a plurality of fibrous columnar objects; the plurality of fibrous columnar objects are each aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the carrying member; and a surface of the fibrous columnar structure on a side opposite to the carrying member has a coefficient of static friction against a glass surface of 2.0 or more.

An actuatable joint for a robotic system has a body, a motor positioned in the body, an output shaft configured to be rotated by the motor relative to the body, and a bearing assembly positioned between the output shaft and the body and configured to support the rotation of the output shaft. The bearing assembly has a first axial angular contact roller bearing. The roller bearing has a pair of frusto-conical bearing rings forming a pair of parallel races, a bearing cage positioned between the pair of bearing rings and including a plurality of openings, and a plurality of rollers positioned in the openings and in contact with the races.