Described are various embodiments of a five-bar folding mechanism and method with quick release functionality. In one embodiment, the mechanism is used with a five-bar linkage comprising a first arm and a second arm rotatively coupled to a same joint, the first arm and second arm defining an angle therebetween. The mechanism comprises an energy storage element coupled to the first arm and configured to be engaged by the second arm upon the angle being smaller than a designated angle, and to store mechanical energy upon said first arm and said second arm being brought further into co-alignment. The energy storage element is further configured to release the stored mechanical energy upon the five-bar linkage being unfolded, pushing the first arm and second arm apart.

A load balancer includes an articulating assembly connected with a support mechanism. The articulating assembly is connected to a support assembly where the support assembly is able to secure a load thereto. The articulating assembly articulates the support assembly and thereby the load between a first position and a second position. The articulating assembly includes at least one linkage assembly interposed between the attachment member and the support assembly. The at least one linkage assembly includes an arm and an actuator where the actuator is selectively pivotable relative to the arm. The load balance and the load together have a center of gravity. The center of gravity remains substantially aligned with an attachment to the support mechanism during the articulation of the support assembly between the first position and the second position.

A balance control method for a wheel-legged robot is provided. The robot includes a moving wheel, n links, and n rotating joints, the moving wheel being connected to a first link through a first rotating joint of the n rotating joints, and the n links being connected in series through n1 rotating joints other than the first rotating joint, n being a positive integer greater than 1. The method includes: acquiring a state quantity of the wheel-legged robot at a first moment; determining dynamics model parameters according to a dynamics equation of the wheel-legged robot and the state quantity at the first moment; establishing a sliding surface according to the state quantity at the first moment; calculating rotation torques of the n rotating joints according to the sliding surface and the dynamics model parameters; and controlling the rotating joints according to the rotation torques of the n rotating joints.

A deployable wiring harness system has a deployable wiring harness that includes insulated conductive cables with connectors assembled onto distal ends thereof. The insulated conductive cables are arranged as a lattice having segments joined at bendable nodes, wherein the segments are joined at the bendable nodes, and wherein the segments includes a machine-readable identifier. Also included is a wiring harness hanger that is affixed to one of the segments, and a wiring harness extender that is coupled to adjoined ones of the segments that are joined at the one of the bendable nodes. The wiring harness extender is arrangeable to urge the adjoined ones of the segments that are joined at the one of the bendable nodes towards a deployed state. An elongated stiffening member is affixed to respective insulated conductive cables of one of the segments at multiple locations.

A robot leg comprises at least two phalanges (1, 2) connected to each other by articulated joint (4). The robotic leg further comprises the electric motor (6A) with the shaft (61A), the cardan mechanism (7A) and the rod (8A), wherein the electric motor (6A) with the shaft (61A) is arranged in the first phalange (1), the cardan mechanism (7A) comprises the driving carrier (71A), the driven carrier (72A), the cross (73A) and the fork (74A). The driving carrier (71A) is connected via the shaft (61A) of the electric motor (6A) with the electric motor (6A), so that the driving carrier (71A) of the cardan mechanism (7A) is driven by the electric motor (6A), the driven carrier (72A) is connected with the first phalange (1), the cross (73A) is arranged between the driving carrier (71A) and the driven carrier (72A), the cross (73A) being rotatably connected with the driving carrier (71A) and rotatably connected with the driven carrier (72A), the fork (74A) being rotatably connected with the cross (73A). The rod (8A) is connected at one end thereof with the fork (74A), and at the other end thereof with the second phalange (2) by means of articulated joint (4A). The coupling of the electric motor (6A) with the cardan mechanism (7A) and with the rod (8A) connected with the second phalange (2) ensures the transmission of the rotational movement of the electric motor (6A) to the swinging movement of the fork (74A) in the longitudinal plane with the axis of rotation at the centre of the cross (73A), and thus transferring the swinging motion of the fork (74A) to the linear motion of the rod (8A), which ensures the swinging motion of the second leg phalange (2) about the axis of articulated joint (4).

A miniature parallel robot and a flat design manufacturing method, relating to the field of robots. A direction perpendicular to a fixed platform is used as a longitudinal direction and a direction parallel to the fixed platform is used as a transverse direction; the overall structure of a miniature parallel robot to be manufactured is divided in both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction; then linkage units obtained by the division are manufactured on the basis of a flat machining process; and finally, the linkage units are recombined by re-assembly to obtain a final miniature parallel robot. The present invention simplifies the design process of the miniature parallel robot, and can be conveniently applied to different complex parallel robots (having more than three branches). Additionally, the miniature parallel robot designed and manufactured by means of the method has high precision, high rigidity, and high dynamic performance.

Exemplary articulating arms include a first articulating arm segment, a second articulating arm segment, and an articulating linkage movably connecting the first articulating arm segment and the second articulating arm segment. An articulating linkage includes a shaft having a first end and a second end, the shaft extending through the first articulating arm segment and the second articulating arm segment, and a friction brake comprising a tension block and a tension screw. Articulating arms include where the second end of the shaft is disposed in an aperture extending through the tension block, and the tension screw extends through the tension block in a direction generally perpendicular to the aperture.

Exemplary articulating arms include a first articulating arm segment, a second articulating arm segment, and an articulating linkage movably connecting the first articulating arm segment and the second articulating arm segment. An articulating linkage includes a shaft having a first end and a second end, the shaft extending through the first articulating arm segment and the second articulating arm segment, and a friction brake comprising a tension block and a tension screw. Articulating arms include where the second end of the shaft is disposed in an aperture extending through the tension block, and the tension screw extends through the tension block in a direction generally perpendicular to the aperture.

An apparatus includes a robot drive comprising a plurality of coaxial drive shafts, each of the coaxial drive shafts being independently driven by a respective motor; an arm connected to the robot drive and rotatable on the robot drive, the arm comprising a first linkage and a second linkage; and a controller configured to control the respective motors driving the coaxial drive shafts. The respective motors are controlled to drive the coaxial drive shafts to cause the second linkage, in a retracted position, to be rotated out of the way of the first linkage at a same time as the first linkage is extended.

A parallel robot system, including: a control apparatus; a parallel robot, including a mounting base, a moving platform, and a driving apparatus arranged between the mounting base and the moving platform, where the driving apparatus is configured to drive the moving platform to make multi-degree-of-freedom movement relative to the mounting base, and the driving apparatus receives a control signal from the control apparatus; a tracer, arranged on the moving platform; a passive arm, where the mounting base of the parallel robot is connected to one end of the passive arm; and an optical positioning and tracking apparatus, configured to track a spatial position of the tracer in real time and to send spatial position data of the tracer to the control apparatus. The parallel robot system is small in size and convenient to mount, and can provide various functions of auxiliary punching, implantation, positioning and the like.