A system comprises a database; at least one hardware processor coupled with the database; and one or more software modules that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, receive at least one of sensory data from a robot and images from a camera, identify and build models of objects in an environment, wherein the model encompasses immutable properties of identified objects including mass and geometry, and wherein the geometry is assumed not to change, estimate the state including position, orientation, and velocity, of the identified objects, determine based on the state and model, potential configurations, or pre-grasp poses, for grasping the identified objects and return multiple grasping configurations per identified object, determine an object to be picked based on a quality metric, translate the pregrasp poses into behaviors that define motor forces and torques, communicate the motor forces and torques to the robot.

A system comprising: a database configured to store a multi-body model of a robot, the robot comprising a plurality of manipulators, and a plurality of joints and plurality of actuators and actuator motors configured to move the joints, and wherein the multi-body model includes a kinematic and geometric model of each manipulator, a catalog of models for objects to be manipulated, the models comprising a current configuration and a target configuration, and a functional mapping of sensory data to configurations of the robot and the manipulators needed to manipulate the objects; at least one hardware processor coupled with the database; and one or more software modules that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, receive sensory data from within a constrained space, identify objects in the constrained space based on the received sensory data and the catalog of models, determine a target pose for the joints and the manipulators based on the sensory data and the current and target configurations associated with the identified object, and compute joint space positions to necessary to realize the target pose.

A system comprises a database; at least one hardware processor coupled with the database; and one or more software modules that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, receive at least one of sensory data from a robot and images from a camera, identify and build models of objects in an environment, wherein the model encompasses immutable properties of identified objects including mass and geometry, and wherein the geometry is assumed not to change, estimate the state including position, orientation, and velocity, of the identified objects, determine based on the state and model, potential configurations, or pre-grasp poses, for grasping the identified objects and return multiple grasping configurations per identified object, determine an object to be picked based on a quality metric, translate the pre-grasp poses into behaviors that define motor forces and torques, communicate the motor forces and torques to the robot in order to allow the robot to perform a complex behavior generated from the behaviors.

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.

An actuator (1) is described having a first part (4), a second part (2), and a body portion (3) between the first and second parts, wherein the body portion includes at least one chamber (14) configured to be pressurised and the body portion has a longitudinal axis; and a plurality of cables (6,7,8,9), wherein each of the plurality of cables is arranged in a respective at least partial spiral with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body portion (3); and wherein the plurality of cables are arranged such that the application of a selected force to at least one of the cables causes a desired movement of the first part relative to the second part.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a robot. The robot comprises a joint housing and an internal engaging member arranged on an inner surface of the joint housing; a second arm link comprising a flange; and a moving assembly at least partially arranged in the joint housing and comprising an input shaft adapted to rotate about an axis of the input shaft; and at least one intermediate member coupled to the output flange and adapted to be driven by the input shaft to rotate while engaging with the internal engaging member, to cause a relative movement between the first and second arm links. By integrating the relative static parts of the gearbox, such as the joint housing and the output flange to the robot arm links, high connection strength of connections between robot arm links can be achieved in a more cost-efficient and space-saving manner.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a plastic robot arm link. The robot arm link comprises a body made of plastic material; a connection arranged on the body and adapted to be coupled to a further plastic robot arm link or a transmission part of the robot; and an insertion made of material with a higher strength or stiffness than the plastic material and embedded in the body and/or the connection. By embedding the material with higher strength or stiffness within the body of the robot arm link made of plastic material, the stiffness and strength of the robot arm link can be enhanced. In addition, due to the presence of highly rigid materials, the creep effect of the plastic arm is also significantly reduced, improving the accuracy of the robot.

A robot comprising: a chopstick, configured for at least four degrees of freedom of movement, a stiff body of shape and proportions approximate to a pool cue; an electromagnetic actuator, comprising a motor, for each degree of freedom of movement coupled with the stiff body, wherein the functional mapping from each actuator's motor current to torque output along an axis of motion is stored, and used in concert with a calibrated model of the robot for effective impedance control; and a 6-axis force/torque sensor mounted inline between the actuators and each chopstick.

A non-Cartesian coordinate positioning machine that includes an extendable leg assembly for positioning a component such as a measurement probe within a working volume of the machine. The extendable leg assembly includes a first member and a second member which move relative to one another when the extendable leg assembly changes length. The first member including an axial arrangement of magnets forming part of a linear motor for extending and retracting the extendable leg assembly, and at least one resilient member for absorbing at least some of any axial thermal expansion or contraction of the magnets in use.

A flexible instrument comprises a first link and a second link that each comprise a first end, a second end, and a wall extending between the first end and the second end, the wall comprising an outer wall surface and an inner wall surface; an outer ear extending in a first axial direction away from the first end of the link; an inner bearing surface defined at the first end of the link, the inner bearing surface extending between the outer ear and the inner wall surface; an inner ear extending in a second axial direction away from the second end of the link; and an outer bearing surface defined at the second end of the wall, the inner bearing surface extending between the inner ear and the outer wall surface. The instrument further comprises at least one of a position sensor and an orientation sensor located along the wall of the instrument.