A fusion welding device includes: a robot arm; a fusion welding hand attached to the robot arm and including a fusion welding head for fusing and joining together workpieces while being separated from the workpieces; a support provided to the fusion welding hand and abutting on the workpieces; a force sensor for detecting a force and a moment exerted, through the support, by the workpieces; and a control section configured to control motion of the robot arm in accordance with parameters calculated from a signal outputted from the force sensor.

An automatic application device includes: a robot arm; an application hand configured to apply, to a workpiece, a paint that is a liquid; a force sensor configured to detect a force and a moment acting on the application hand; and a control section configured to control the robot arm in accordance with a parameter calculated from an output signal from the force sensor.

An apparatus for active contact force control is disclosed. The apparatus can have upper flange on which to mount a production tool. The apparatus can be mounted, via a lower flange, on a multi-axis machine to obtain spatial motion together with the corresponding production tool. The apparatus can comprise a housing inside which can be a linear actuator connected to guides. Mechanical connection between a ball screw and the upper flange can contain a force sensor and at least one spherical joint. The connection between the spherical joint and the upper flange can be formed using a mechanical dissipative element made of elastic dissipative elements and a disc plate positioned between the elastic dissipative elements.

A force sensor includes a strain body including a base portion, a displacement portion configured to make a displacement relative to the base portion under external force, and an elastic connection portion configured to elastically connect the base portion and the displacement portion, a board including a detection unit configured to detect the displacement of the displacement portion relative to the base portion in a first direction, and an interposed member interposed between the strain body and the board, the interposed member including an extending portion extending in a second direction intersecting a surface of the board and the first direction.

A method for controlling an aerial vehicle including a compliant arm mechanism is disclosed. A propulsion system of the aerial vehicle is controlled to fly the aerial vehicle to an area proximate to a surface. One or more of the propulsion system and the compliant arm mechanism are controlled such that the compliant arm mechanism contacts the surface. The compliant arm mechanism is configured to extend laterally beyond a perimeter of the propulsion system. One or more sensor signals indicating contact of the compliant arm mechanism against the surface are received via a sensor. A force at which the aerial vehicle presses against the surface is determined based on the one or more sensor signals.

A device for gripping an object includes a pair of grippers each having a gripping surface formed with a plurality of fine channels, a driver for driving the pair of grippers, a pump connected to at least one of the plurality of fine channels, to supply a fluid to the at least one of the plurality of fine channels, and a controller for controlling the driver to enable the pair of grippers to grip the object or controlling the pump to adjust an amount of the fluid supplied to the gripping surface.

A robot control system includes a relative relationship calculating section configured to calculate a relative relationship between a first member and a second member at least at one of a plurality of points based on data acquired by a vision sensor, a contact point determination section configured to determine a contact point between the first member and the second member based on the calculated relative relationship, a control point setting section configured to set a control point based on the determined contact point, and a fitting control section configured to control fitting of the plurality of points based on the set control point.

One variation of a method for autonomously scanning and processing a part includes: accessing a part model representing a part positioned in a work zone adjacent a robotic system; retrieving a sanding head translation speed; retrieving a toolpath for execution on the part defining positions, orientations, and target forces applied by the sanding head to the part. The method includes traversing the sanding head along the toolpath, at the sanding head translation speed; reading a sequence of applied forces from a force sensor coupled to the sanding head at positions along the toolpath; and deviating from the toolpath to maintain the set of applied forces within a threshold difference of a sequence of target forces along the toolpath. In one variation of the method, the robotic system executes a toolpath at a duration less than target duration by selectively varying target force and sanding head translation speed across the part.

A method and robot controller configured to obtain an inertia-vibration model of the robot arm. The inertia-vibration model defines a relationship between the inertia of the robot arm and the vibrational properties of said robot arm and have been by setting the robot arm in a plurality of different physical configurations and for each of said physical configurations of said robot arm obtaining the vibrational properties and the inertia the robot arm. The inertia-vibration model makes it possible to in a simple and efficient way to obtain the vibrational properties of different physical configurations of the robot arm whereby the robot arm can be controlled according to the vibrational properties of the robot arm. This makes it possible to reduce the vibrations of the robot arm during movement of the robot arm.

A configuration that exerts floor reaction force directly to a force sensor in a foot of a legged mobile robot requires a sensor having a large withstand load. A foot (10f) includes an upper frame (44) that is connected to a movable leg and receives the load of a robot, a lower frame (48) that is deployed under the upper frame (44) and contacts with a walking surface, a high rigidity spring (50) attached the lower frame (48) and elastically supporting the upper frame (44) against the load, and a plurality of sensor mechanisms that detect floor reaction force at positions different from each other on the lower frame (48). Each of the sensor mechanisms includes a force sensor (62) attached to one of the upper frame (44) and the lower frame (48) and a sensor spring (52) that is an elastic body having rigidity lower than that of the high rigidity spring (50) and has a supporting point deployed on the other one of the upper frame (44) and the lower frame (48) so as to exert pressing force to the force sensor (62) according to a change of the distance between the upper frame (44) and the lower frame (48).