The present invention relates to a pusher mechanism comprising a column (1) capable of being subjected to a compressive force or a pulling force when in use and having a height (H) defining a first direction, a width (l) and a thickness (E), the thickness (E) being constant, the height (H) being variable, when in use, between a quiescent value (H.sub.0) and a maximum value (H.sub.M) and the width (l) being variable, when in use, between a quiescent value (l.sub.0) and a minimum value (l.sub.in), the column comprising two vertical members (2, 3) facing each other and extending along the height (H) and the thickness (E), and reversible means (6) supported by the vertical members and designed to transform a compressive force exerted on the vertical members along the width (l) of the column into a movement along the first direction of the column, the width (l) of which subsequently decreases (l<l.sub.0) and the height (H) of which subsequently increases (H>H.sub.0), and vice versa.

[Object] To provide a hybrid actuator attaining both driving force and responsiveness, capable of reducing inertia of a movable portion.

[Solution] A pneumatic air muscle has a cylinder (112) provided in a flexible member (100) forming a pneumatic artificial muscle. At the center of an upper lid element (109) of the cylinder, a through hole is opened, and an inner wire (103) of a Bowden cable passes through this through hole and is coupled by means of a spring (106) to a bottom portion of the cylinder. When the pneumatic artificial muscle contracts, the inner wire (103) and the pneumatic air muscle move together because of the stopper (105), and the contraction force is transmitted. In contrast, when the pneumatic air muscle extends, the stopper (105) is disengaged, while the tension of inner wire (103) is kept by the spring (106) to prevent slacking.

A robot control unit for a substrate conveying robot raises a hand from a first lower position below a first target position at which the hand picks up a substrate to a first upper position above the first target position, and displaces at least one of a plurality of joints in one direction, in a first interval from the first lower position to a first intermediate position between the first lower position and the first target position.

A control system for a continuum robot includes a kinematics calculation unit configured to calculate a length of a wire in a bendable portion. The kinematics calculation unit includes a wire length calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of a plurality of minute sections obtained by dividing the bendable portion in a longitudinal direction thereof, a length of the wire in the minute section based on a bending angle, a turning angle, and a torsional angle of the minute section, and an addition unit configured to add the lengths of the wire in the plurality of minute sections obtained by the wire length calculation unit to calculate the length of the wire in the bendable portion.

A robot hand includes: a first link; a first fixed pulley and a second fixed pulley, respectively provided at a proximal end pivot part of the first link and rotatable around a first axis; a second link, supported at an intermediate pivot part by the first link to be rotatable around a second axis; a lever link, supported by the proximal end pivot part of the first link to be rotatable around the first axis; a lever pulley, supported by the lever link; a hanging cable, hung on the first fixed pulley, the lever pulley, and the second fixed pulley; a conversion mechanism, connecting the lever link and the second link, and converting rotation of the lever link into rotation of the second link; and a second link driving mechanism, rotating the lever link around the first axis by pulling the hanging cable.

An apparatus for controlling an end-effector assembly having a first working member and a second working member is provided. The apparatus includes a first set of at least one cable, a second set of at least one cable, a first pulley configured to guide the first set of at least one cable, a second pulley configured to guide the first set of at least one cable when the second pulley is in a first position, a third pulley configured to guide the second set of at least one cable, and a rotatable element rotatable about a first axis.

A substrate-transporting robot apparatus is disclosed. The robot apparatus may include an upper arm, a forearm independently rotatable relative to the upper arm, a wrist member independently rotatable relative to the forearm, and an end effector adapted to carry a substrate. In some aspects, the independent rotation is provided by a robot drive assembly having a second driving pulley mounted for rotation on a first driving pulley. In another aspect, robot drive assemblies including base-mounted and web-mounted pulleys are disclosed. Robot drive assemblies and operational methods are provided, as are numerous other aspects.

The invention concerns a device forming a robotic finger comprising a base (100) forming a palm, at least one knuckle (500, 700, 900) articulated on the base (100) about two separate joints (200, 400) non-parallel to each other, at least two actuators (110, 120, 130, 140) and cable-linking means (112, 122) respectively linking the two actuators (110, 120) to drive elements of said two joints (200, 400), characterised in that the device comprises guide means (150, 151, 152) designed to guide the cables involved in the control of each joint (400, 600, 800) located after the first joint (200) on the base (100), in a common plane passing through the axis (202) of said first joint (200).

An actuator, a robot arm and a robot are disclosed. The actuator includes: a housing; a motor, including a motor stator and a motor rotor, wherein the motor stator is disposed on the housing, the motor rotor is rotatably connected to the housing, and the motor rotor covers the motor stator; a position encoder, disposed on the motor rotor; a motor driver, disposed on the housing, and electrically connected to the motor; a reducer, disposed on the housing, and parallelly disposed with the motor; and a transmission mechanism, connected to the motor rotor and the reducer respectively; wherein the reducer is configured to adjust a rotation speed output from the motor rotor.

A driving-unit that rotates a first-member and a second-member constituting a robot-arm about a rotary-axis. The driving-unit includes: a bracket fixed to the first-member and including a first-hollow-hole penetrating along the rotary-axis; a motor fixed to the bracket and accommodated in the first-member; a reducer that connects the bracket and the second-member rotatable about the rotary-axis and that includes a second-hollow-hole penetrating along the rotary-axis; and a driving power transmission mechanism accommodated in the bracket and transmitting a rotation of the motor to the reducer. The driving power transmission mechanism includes a driving-shaft, a first-transmission-mechanism that transmits the rotation of the motor to the driving-shaft, and a second-transmission-mechanism that transmits a rotation of the driving-shaft to an input-shaft of the reducer. A distance between a shaft of the motor and the rotary-axis is shorter than a distance between the driving-shaft and the rotary-axis.