A compliance mechanism for holding a robotic finishing tool implements passive force control and compliance using one or more double-acting pneumatic pistons. A desired application force is set and maintained by controlling pneumatic pressure in chambers both fore and aft of the one or more double-acting pneumatic pistons. The pressures in the fore and aft chambers are dynamically controlled, e.g., in response to changes in spatial orientation of the robot arm and tool, to maintain a desired compliance force applied by the robotic finishing tool to a workpiece. An external regulator maintains the fore and aft chamber pressures, for a given spatial orientation, throughout the holder's range of compliance motion. The compliance mechanism includes a plurality of piston bores; the number of active pistons may be adjusted for a given operation, e.g., in response to the finishing tool weight.

A pneumatic robotic tool, such as grinder, sander, etc., implements passive force control and compliance using two or more double-acting pneumatic pistons distributed about a pneumatic motor within the tool housing. The multiple pistons facilitate a compact design, reducing tool stack height, as compared to prior-art, single-piston designs. In one embodiment, filtered breather vents and an air pressure equalization passage maintain ambient atmospheric pressure throughout the tool, while preventing the infiltration of dust and other particulates. In one embodiment, a hard port rigidly affixed to the tool housing is provided for at least motor supply pneumatic fluid. The motor supply air is transferred from the hard port to the pneumatic motor via a flexible pneumatic fluid tube within the tool housing. In one embodiment, the pneumatic motor discharge air is vented from the tool housing in a sealed passage that accommodates the tool compliance motion, and prevents dust infiltration.

Rotating applicators are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes an inlet to receive a surface coating to be applied to a surface of a workpiece, a shaft having a fluid channel extending therethrough, where the fluid channel is in fluid communication with the inlet, and an applicator coupled to an end of the shaft, where the applicator has an opening in fluid communication with the fluid channel. The apparatus also includes a pump to cause the surface coating to flow from the inlet to the opening, and a motor to rotate the shaft while the applicator dispenses the surface coating from the opening.

A tank polishing system for polishing a tank, the system includes a polishing cell housing a body polishing station and an end polishing station; an input window leading into the polishing cell; an output window leading out of the polishing cell; a robot having an arm with one or more vacuum cups to releasably secure to the tank via vacuum pressure, the robot housed within the polishing cell and to transfer the tank from the input window, to the body polishing station, to the end polishing station, and to the output window; a body polishing machine to polish the tank at the body polishing station; and a control system to receive user commands to operate the robot and the one or more polishing machine.

A method and apparatus for a walking robot. A first end effector connected to a first end of a robotic arm is moved relative to a surface of a structure and away from a second end effector connected to a second end of the robotic arm. The first end effector is secured relative to the surface of the structure after moving the first end effector relative to the surface. The second end effector connected to the second end of the robotic arm is moved relative to the surface of the structure and toward the first end effector.

A method for robotic machining is disclosed. The method includes determining a first designed machining path based on a modelled surface for a target surface to be machined. The method also includes causing a robot to machine the target surface based on the first designed machining path in an adaptive manner to obtain an actual machining path, wherein where the modelled surface is different from the target surface, the robot is caused to follow the target surface. The method further includes determining a second designed machining path for the target surface based on the actual machining path and the first designed machining path.

The invention relates to a finishing device for removing the weld bead generated during welding of a window or door frame or frame section at the mitered surfaces, wherein the finishing device comprises a support surface for the frame or frame section and a processing arm for supporting a tool holder, and the processing arm consists of a plurality of arm elements that move in hinged fashion relative to one another but can also be fixed in place, wherein the tool holder comprises at least two cutting tools driven by a rotational drive, said tools rotating about a tool axis and at least one tool laterally next to the blade of the tool, contact sides.

A dummy tool is used to teach a robot the path the robot will follow to perform work on a workpiece to eliminate the possibility of damaging an actual tool during the training. The dummy tool provides the robot programmer an indication of potential collisions between the tool and the workpiece and other objects in the work cell when path is being taught. The dummy tool can have a detachable input/output device with a graphic user interface (GUI) that can communicate wirelessly with the robot controller. The dummy tool can also have a moveable camera attached thereto to track the relationship of the tool to objects in the work area.

Tire-buffing system constituted by a robotic arm (1) with angular interpolation movements with the aim of providing a modular machine capable of allowing greater amplitude of movements. The range of the movement is particularly optimized on the part of the scraping tool (5) which is installed at the end of a robotized arm (1). The buffing system is controlled via a control panel including a controller and the robotic arm is provided with at least three articulations (2) (3) (4) and two arms (12) (13) to approach automatically towards a tire to be buffed. Said tire (7) (8) (9) is supported by a rotary mandrel (6) (10) fixed independently of the robotic arm.

A controller has a state observation unit to acquire a present state of a robot as a state variable, a label data acquisition unit to acquire, as a label, a detected value of a force sensor attached to an arm and to detect necessary data for control of a pressing force, and a learning unit to generate a learning model indicative of the correlation between the state variable acquired in a no-load state and the label acquired under the state variable acquired in the no-load state and to estimate the detected value of the force sensor. The controller controls the pressing force by using the detected value of the force sensor acquired in the present state of the robot acquired in a loaded state and the detected value of the force sensor estimated by the learning unit based on the present state of the robot acquired in the loaded state.