The present disclosure describes methods, systems, apparatuses, and devices for facilitating actuating robots and automatic machines. Specifically, the present invention provides a capstan actuator with composite control coil. Further, the disclosed system may allow for multi-jointed robots, or other multiple degrees of freedom machines, to be constructed in a novel manner that allows for a single prime mover to supply motive power to many other degrees of freedom with very good control fidelity.

A driven linear axis includes a housing which has a linear rail guide on which a carriage is arranged such that it can be moved back and forth linearly with the aid of a transport device. The transport device comprises a belt which circulates in the housing and is guided over two gears, at least one gear being configured as a drive gear. Furthermore, a drive device is arranged within the drive gear and is in a torque-locking rotary connection with the drive gear.

A tensioning set comprises an output member. A magnetorheological fluid clutch apparatus is configured to receive a degree of actuation (DOA) and connected to the output member, the magnetorheological fluid clutch apparatus being actuatable to selectively transmit the received DOA through the output member by controlled slippage. A tensioning member is connected to the output member so as to be pulled by the output member upon actuation of the magnetorheological fluid clutch apparatus, a free end of the tensioning member adapted to exert a pulling action transmitted to an output when being pulled by the output member. The tensioning set, or a comparable compressing set, may be used in systems and robotic arms. A method for controlling movements of an output driven by the tensioning set or compressing set is also provided.

In a wire-driven continuum robot, in accordance with a profile of a first bending angle regarding a bending angle of a follow-up bending section that corresponds to a forward movement of a continuum robot, and is set in accordance with an input first target bending angle of a distal bending section, a bending angle of the following-up bending section is controlled to reach the first target bending angle. Before a movement amount of a forward movement reaches a first movement amount, the control is performed as follows. More specifically, a profile of a second bending angle that is different from the profile of the first bending angle is set, and by a further forward movement of the continuum robot, a bending angle of the following-up bending section reaches the second target bending angle in accordance with the profile of the second bending angle.

A control apparatus for a continuum robot including a curved portion that is curved by driving a wire with a driving mechanism includes an image DB/torsional-amount acquisition unit that obtains the torsional amount of the continuum robot and a kinematic operation unit that sets the driving displacement amount of the wire driven by the driving mechanism on the basis of the torsional amount obtained by the image DB/torsional-amount acquisition unit.

A force transmission transmits forces received by three levers to an input gimbal plate having three support points. The input gimbal play may in turn transmit the force to a wrist assembly coupled to a surgical tool. The three axes of rotation for the three levers are parallel. Two of the levers may have half-cylinder surfaces at an end of the lever to receive a support point of the input gimbal plate. Two of the levers may be supported with one degree of rotational freedom orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the fulcrum. A spring may draw the second and third levers toward one another. Two levers may have stops that bear against the support points. The force transmission may include a parallelogram linkage that includes a rocker link pivotally coupled to the first lever and having a flat surface that supports the first gimbal support point.

A robotic hand includes a palm, a thumb and four fingers that are connected to the palm; a first driving assembly to drive the thumb to rotate, a second driving assembly and a third driving assembly to respectively drive two of the four fingers to rotate; and a fourth driving assembly to drive the other two of the four fingers to rotate. The first driving assembly, the second driving assembly, the third driving assembly, and the fourth driving assembly are received within the palm.

A surgical tool having an open-close end effector is to be provided. The surgical tool includes: a shaft; a wrist that is connected to the shaft rotatably about a first axis; a first jaw member and a second jaw member, each of which is supported rotatably about a second axis; and an elastic member that applies a repulsive force between the first jaw member and the second jaw member. The surgical tool further includes: a first jaw capstan provided for the first jaw member; a first cable that pulls the first jaw member; a second jaw capstan provided for the second jaw member; and a second cable that pulls the second jaw member.

A spraying robot, a control method, and a computer readable storage medium are disclosed. The spraying robot includes a frame body, a first lifting mechanism, a lifting motor, and a spraying gun; a lifting channel is provided inside the frame body; the first lifting mechanism is provided inside the lifting channel; a first portion of the first lifting mechanism is fixedly connected to the frame body; the lifting motor is connected to the first lifting mechanism in a transmission manner, so that under the driving of the lifting motor, the first lifting mechanism moves in the lifting channel; the spraying gun is provided in a second portion of the first lifting mechanism; wherein the first portion and the second portion are provided on both sides of the first lifting mechanism.

A string actuator-based exoskeleton robot includes: a driving force conversion unit including a fixed frame and a rotation pulley and mountable on a side portion of the waist of a human body; a driving unit including a driving motor providing a driving force and a pair of strings provided in double rows to have one side connected to the driving motor and the other side connected to the rotation pulley, and assisting the rotation of the rotation pulley by twisting or untwisting the pair of strings with or from each other by a rotational driving force of the driving motor to vary a length of the pair of strings; and a support unit formed to extend from the rotation pulley to at least one of a front surface or a rear surface of the femoral region of the human body to support the femoral region of the human body.