Exemplary embodiments relate to user-assisted robotic control systems, user interfaces for remote control of robotic systems, vision systems in robotic control systems, and modular grippers for use by robotic systems. The systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable media instructions described interact with and control robotic systems, in particular pick and place systems using soft robotic actuators to grasp, move and release target objects.

A robot device of the present disclosure includes at least one artificial muscle that operates by being supplied with liquid; and a liquid supply device that supplies and discharges the liquid to/from the artificial muscle, and the liquid supply device includes a liquid storage part that stores the liquid; a pump that sucks the liquid from the liquid storage part and discharges the liquid; a pressure regulating device that includes a spool and an electromagnetic part that allows the spool to move, and that generates drive pressure for the artificial muscle by regulating source pressure from the pump side, and regulates the source pressure by balancing at least a force given to the spool from the electromagnetic part and a force given to the spool by action of the drive pressure; and a control device that applies a current to the electromagnetic part of the pressure regulating device so that the drive pressure reaches target pressure.

A pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) includes a bladder containing, internal to the bladder, the other components of the PAM: at least one valve controlling pneumatic pressure inside the bladder; at least one sensor configured to sense pressure inside the bladder; and at least one signal conditioning device, thereby providing a self-contained, volume-efficient, simple interface for the PAM.

A fulcrum opening/closing type air chuck includes porous bodies that are attached to a body and come into contact with fingers, and purge air passes through the porous bodies and is discharged to the outside.

A method of constructing an inflatable fluidic actuator that includes generating a tube configuration with one or more shapes of fluid-impermeable membrane material, the tube configuration having a first tube end and a second tube end and an internal tube face and an external tube face. The method also includes coupling a first and second interface to the tube configuration at the first and second tube ends by respectively coupling each interface to the tube configuration at a respective tube end by generating at least one of: a first circumferential bond between the fluid-impermeable membrane material and one or more sidewalls of the interface; and an external face bond between fluid-impermeable membrane material at the tube end onto an external face of the interface.

A robot includes elbows connecting forearms rotatably to upper arms with two rotational degrees of freedom. The elbow includes: an elbow joint connecting the forearm and the upper arm with two rotational degrees of freedom; an elbow drive main link; an elbow drive auxiliary link; a forearm-side main link attaching unit attached with one end of the elbow drive main link with two rotational degrees of freedom, and provided in the forearm; an elbow-drive-main-link-side auxiliary link attaching unit attached with one end of the elbow drive auxiliary link with two rotational degrees of freedom, and provided on the elbow drive main link; and two linear actuators for moving two upper-arm-side link attaching units each attached with the other end of either the elbow drive main link or the elbow drive auxiliary link with two rotational degrees of freedom, and provided so as to be movable along the upper arm.

The present disclosure provides a biologically-inspired robotic device comprising: a first member; a second member pivotably connected to the first member; one or more actuators; and a coupler/decoupler mechanism (CDC) selectively coupling or decoupling of the one or more actuators to the second member, such that, when the one or more actuators are coupled to the second member, the one or more actuators act to pivot the second member relative to the first member.

A joint structure for connecting a first element and a second element included in a robot includes a Stewart platform that controls a position and/or an angle of the second element relative to the first element. The Stewart platform includes a first member to be joined to the first element, a second member to be joined to the second element, multiple legs connecting the first member and the second member, a driver that changes an effective length of each of the legs to change a position and/or an angle of the second member relative to the first member, and a soft structure that elastically changes the effective length of each of the legs in response to an external force applied to the second member and restores the effective length of each of the legs in response to the external force being removed.

A joint structure for connecting a first element and a second element included in a robot includes a Stewart platform that controls a position and/or an angle of the second element relative to the first element. The Stewart platform includes a first member to be joined to the first element, a second member to be joined to the second element, multiple legs connecting the first member and the second member, a driver that changes an effective length of each of the legs to change a position and/or an angle of the second member relative to the first member, and a soft structure that elastically changes the effective length of each of the legs in response to an external force applied to the second member and restores the effective length of each of the legs in response to the external force being removed.

An actuator is provided with a tubular actuator element and a supporting body which supports an inner peripheral surface of the actuator element. An internal pressure of the actuator element is higher than an external pressure of the actuator element.