Disclosed is a mechanical telemanipulator handle to control surgical instruments with articulated end-effectors, such as dissectors, scissors or graspers, enhancing a surgeon's performance during various surgical procedures. These surgical instruments may be inserted into surgical incisions in a body of a patient and the articulated end-effector is mounted on the distal extremity of the instrument shaft, comprising a plurality of links interconnected by a plurality of joints, whose movements are remotely controlled at the telemanipulator's proximal handle. This remote actuation is accomplished through mechanical transmission, optimally along flexible elements, which are able to kinematically connect the end-effector with the handle such that the movements applied on the handle are reproduced by the end-effector at a predetermined scaled ratio. The articulated handle further comprises one or more movement-amplification systems that amplify the movements generated at the handle so that the gripping force at the instrument's end-effector can be increased and the surgeon's ergonomy improved.

A soft gripper including tentacles, each tentacle includes lower and upper members connected by a connector. Each member includes guide discs, and each guide disc includes a ring with passthrough holes, and a spacer located in a donut hole of the ring with passthrough holes, the passthrough holes collectively define cable pathways. The connector includes a center thru-hole and transfer channels. Cables have proximal ends attached to actuators and extend through apertures of a baseplate located at a proximal end of the lower member. A set of lower cables extend through the lower ring passthrough holes to couple to a distal lower guide disc. A set of upper cables extend through the lower spacer passthrough holes, through the transfer channels to the upper ring passthrough holes to couple to a distal upper guide ring, and an end cap is attached to the distal end of the upper member.

A robot tendon system having a robot arm having an exterior surface, and further rigid elements, each of which is moveably attached to the robot arm or to another of the further rigid elements. Further, a tendon retaining element defines a set of closed channels, and has a major exterior surface that is attached to the major surface of the robot arm. Finally, tendons extend through the closed channels and are attached to the rigid elements.

A transport apparatus including a drive; a first arm connected to the drive, where the first arm includes a first link, a second link and an end effector connected in series with the drive, where the first link and the second link have different effective lengths; and a system for limiting rotation of the end effector relative to the second link to provide substantially only straight movement of the end effector relative to the drive when the first arm is extended or retracted.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber and a transfer device configured to transfer a plurality of substrates to a substrate retainer. The transfer device includes a base; a first moving unit capable of linear motion; a first drive unit to drive the first moving unit. The first drive unit includes a first pulley group; a first motor coupled to a first pulley; and a first connecting member coupling the first belt and the first moving unit. A second moving unit is capable of linear motion. A second drive unit is in an enclosure of the first moving unit and drives the second moving unit. The second drive unit includes a second pulley group; a second belt wound on the second pulley group, a second motor coupled to drive a second pulley; and a second connecting member coupling the second belt and the second moving unit.

A mechanical transmission, tethered actuation system, an autonomous ankle exoskeleton design and method of their use employing a cable, pulleys and associated pulley housings to change angular transmission of linear force on the cable. The pulleys are linked by a ground link and the cable is threaded across and between the pulleys, whereby rotation of either of the pulleys in one direction causes rotation of the other pulley in the opposite direction. Independently of the pulleys, the pulley housings can freely rotate about associated pulleys, and a link between the pulley housings is provided, whereby rotation of one of the pulley housings in one direction causes rotation of the other pulley housing at an equivalent angle in the opposite direction, thereby enabling a change in transmission angle of linear force on the cable threaded across and between the pulleys and the associated pulley housing essentially without resistance. When pulleys have the same angular velocity ratio as that of the associated pulley housings, there is no cable slack since the net changes in length of the cable wrapping around two pulleys is zero.

Robotic arms, and devices with such arms, having any combination of gear-driven actuator assemblies and cable-driven actuator assemblies, with some arm or device embodiments having solely gear-driven assemblies, some having solely cable-driven assemblies, and others having a combination of at least one of each. Further embodiments relate to arms or devices having one or more actuation assemblies with an actuator is disposed remotely (in a different component of the device—or even external to the device) in relation to the actuable component to which it is coupled.

A wrist joint comprises first and second joint features, the first joint feature having a first end surface profile defining a central protrusion, a first outer protrusion, a second outer protrusion, a first recess, and a second recess, wherein the first recess and the second recess are on opposite sides of the central protrusion and between the first outer protrusion and the second outer protrusion, and the second joint feature having a second end surface profile defining a central recess, a first outer recess, a second outer recess, a first protrusion between the central recess and the first outer recess, and a second protrusion between the central recess and the second outer recess, wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion have an end surface profile different from the end surface profile of the first outer protrusion, the second outer protrusion, and the central protrusion.

The disclosure describes devices, systems and methods relating to a transfer chamber for an electronic device processing system. For example, a method includes causing a robot arm to pick up a substrate. The robot arm is caused to pick up the substrate by causing a first mover to rotate or to change a first distance to a second mover. Rotation of the first mover or the change in the first distance causes the first robot arm to rotate about a shoulder axis. The robot arm is further caused to pick up the substrate by causing one of a) a second mover to rotate or b) a third mover to change a second distance to the second mover. Rotation of the second mover or the change in the second distance causes the robot arm to raise or lower.

A drive structure of a desktop robotic arm is disclosed, including a base and a turntable. The base is internally provided with a turntable drive motor and a turntable drive shaft, the turntable drive motor is drive-connected to the turntable drive shaft, and the turntable drive shaft is drive-connected to the turntable. The turntable is provided with an upper arm drive motor and a forearm drive motor. The turntable drive motor, the upper arm drive motor and the forearm drive motor are all servo motors with absolute value encoders. According to the drive structure of the desktop robotic arm, by using servo motors as the drive motors for controlling the turntable, an upper arm and a forearm, for which the absolute value encoders are correspondingly configured, control accuracy and driving power can be improved. Further, the present invention also discloses a desktop robotic arm and a robot.