A system includes an inspection robot having an input sensor comprising a laser profiler and a plurality of wheels structured to engage a curved portion of an inspection surface, wherein the laser profiler is configured to provide laser profiler data of the inspection surface; a controller, comprising: a profiler data circuit structured to interpret the laser profiler data; determine a feature of interest is present at a location of the inspection surface in response to the laser profiler data; and wherein the feature of interest comprises a shape description of the inspection surface at the location of the feature of interest.

A flexure joint apparatus includes a first fixing unit, at least one first flexure extending from the first fixing unit, and a connection member having a first head elastically supported by the at least one first flexure.

A rotational driving mechanism for driving a rotary member mounted on a rotatable base member includes: a first link unit that has a first link body and is mounted through a first support part on the base member, the first link unit further having an input part to which an output of the linear motion actuator is inputted at one side of the first link body, and an output part located in the first link body at an opposite side of the input part across the first support part and a second link unit that has a second link body and is mounted through a second support part on the output part of the first link unit, the second link unit being further mounted through a third support unit on the rotary member or a connecting member joined thereto in such a manner as to be free to rotate.

A soft bodied robotic member has the appearance of a finger and has a deformable rubber elongated body surrounding an array of rigid ribs interconnected by a perpendicular constraint. The plates form a series of parallel protrusions extending from opposed sides of the body and have a serrated, sawtooth or wavelike appearance. A tether runs through each row of protrusions and draws the corresponding protrusions together in a compressive manner to bend or dispose the finger toward the compressed side. Gaps between the protrusion allow movement of the protrusion towards adjacent protrusions to dispose the body in an arcuate shape. The constraint is a planar sheet that bends with the arc along its width, but resists lateral twisting, thus limiting movement outside a plane defined by the arc and the tether. Multiple finger members may be placed in close geometric proximity for gripping a common object

A system includes an inspection robot for performing an inspection on an inspection surface with an inspection robot, the apparatus comprising a position definition circuit structured to determine an inspection robot position on the inspection surface; a data positioning circuit structured to interpret inspection data, and to correlate the inspection data to the inspection robot position on the inspection surface; and wherein the data positioning circuit is further structured to determine position informed inspection data in response to the correlating of the inspection data with the inspection robot position, wherein the position informed inspection data comprises absolute position data.

Flexural digital materials are discrete parts that can be assembled into a lattice structure to produce an actuatable structure capable of coordinated reversible spatially-distributed deformation. The structure comprises a set of discrete flexural digital material units assembled according to a lattice geometry, with a majority of the discrete units being connected, or adapted to be connected, to at least two other units according to the geometry. In response to certain types of loading of the structure, a coordinated reversible spatially-distributed deformation of at least part of the structure occurs. The deformation of the structure is due to the shape or material composition of the discrete units, the configuration of connections between the units, and/or the configuration of the lattice geometry. Exemplary types of such actuatable structures include airplane wing sections and robotic leg structures. An automated process may be employed for constructing an actuatable structure from flexural digital materials.

Aspects described herein include an end effector capable of prehending items using impactive and astrictive forces. The end effector includes an interface system having a deformable mounting plate and a pliable body member attached to the mounting plate. The end effector further includes a linkage system between a plurality of actuators and the interface system. The linkage system connects to lateral portions of the mounting plate.

A machine (10) to automatically transport, from and to one or more working stations (12), one or more components (11) to make a package, comprises a reference surface (13), with which electric energizing members (14) are associated to selectively generate one or more magnetic fields, and at least a pair of support members (15) each provided with magnetic means (16) configured to interact with the magnetic fields. The machine (10) comprises control means (17) configured to energize selectively and in a coordinated manner the electric energizing members (14) to cause the selective movement of each support member (15) from one point to another of the reference surface (13). Each support member (15) is also provided with respective gripping means (18) comprising at least one support arm (19), wherein the support arm (19) of the first support member (15) is configured to cooperate with the support arm (19) of the second support member (15) to selectively temporarily grip and support at least one or more components (11).

A robot main body driving mechanism; a robot main body including a hollow flexible shaft, a joint portion including a bending joint and a proximal end continuous with a distal end of the flexible shaft, the bending joint receiving driving force of the robot main body driving mechanism to perform a bending operation, an end effector provided at a distal end of the joint portion, and a driving force transmission mechanism connecting the bending joint and the robot main body driving mechanism and configured to transmit the driving force of the robot main body driving mechanism to the bending joint; and a rotation driving mechanism configured to rotate the robot main body around an axis of a proximal end of the flexible shaft.

A flexible drive manipulator according to an example embodiment may include a proximal portion, a plurality of joint portions drivably connected from an end of the proximal portion with respect to a longitudinal axis, a distal portion connected to an end of the plurality of joint portions, a pair of drive wires passing through the plurality of joint portions in parallel along the longitudinal axis, the pair of drive wires configured to drive the plurality of joint portions in a rotational direction of rotation with respect to a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a fixing wire passing through the plurality of joint portions in a shape of converging along the longitudinal axis, the fixing wire configured to adjust rigidity of the plurality of joint portions.