An article discharge system includes a placement unit in which the article group is placed, plural grippers, a movable member, a robot that moves the movable member, weight acquisition units, and a control unit. The plural grippers grip some articles with gripping member. The plural grippers are attached to the movable member. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips. The control unit moves the movable member, brings the plural grippers closer to the placement unit, causes the plural grippers to grip some of the articles of the article group placed in the placement unit, and, based on the result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips and which the weight acquisition units have acquired, causes predetermined grippers among the plural grippers to release the articles and thereby discharge the articles.

A controller for robot arms and the like having mechanical singularities identities paths near the singularities and modifies those paths to avoid excessive joint movement according to a minimization of tool orientation deviation to produce alternative paths that minimize changes in the tool orientation such as can affect application such as welding, sealant application, coating and the like.

A drive structure of a desktop robotic arm is disclosed, including a base and a turntable. The base is internally provided with a turntable drive motor and a turntable drive shaft, the turntable drive motor is drive-connected to the turntable drive shaft, and the turntable drive shaft is drive-connected to the turntable. The turntable is provided with an upper arm drive motor and a forearm drive motor. The turntable drive motor, the upper arm drive motor and the forearm drive motor are all servo motors with absolute value encoders. According to the drive structure of the desktop robotic arm, by using servo motors as the drive motors for controlling the turntable, an upper arm and a forearm, for which the absolute value encoders are correspondingly configured, control accuracy and driving power can be improved. Further, the present invention also discloses a desktop robotic arm and a robot.

Apparatus and methods are described for performing intraocular surgery on a patient using a tool. A robotic unit includes a tool mount configured to securely hold the tool thereupon and configured to insert the tool into the patient's eye such that entry of the tool into the patient's eye is via an incision point, and the tip of the tool is disposed within the patient's eye. One or more multi-jointed arms are disposed on a single side of the tool mount and moveably support the tool mount. A computer processor drives the robotic unit to perform at least a portion of a procedure by moving the tip of the tool in a desired manner with respect to the eye, while entry of the tool into the patient's eye is maintained fixed at the incision point. Other applications are also described.

A robot arm includes a first member, and a second member translating along an axis located in the first member or rotating around the axis, and the first member has a base, a drive unit generating a drive force, a joint portion having a driven pulley and transmitting the drive force to the second member, a belt transmitting the drive force generated by the drive unit to the driven pulley, a sensor provided in a position overlapping with a region surrounded by the driven pulley and the belt in a plan view along the axis and detecting vibration, a wire routed to the region and coupled to the sensor, and a supporting member provided in the region and supporting the wire.

A teaching system for a robot is provided, including a motion bar for controlling the robot and a robot system utilizing the teaching system. In one embodiment, the teaching system is provided including a first controller configured to provide motion-related control functions for controlling motion of the robot. The teaching system may also include a second controller configured to provide control functions other than the motion-related control functions for programming one or more actions of the robot.

A robot having joint shaft that includes: a first-link member and a second-link that are coupled about a rotation axis; a reducer that has an input-shaft fixed to the first-link and an output-shaft fixed to the second-link; a motor that generates a driving force to be input to the reducer; and an input-side encoder and an output-side encoder. The motor is away from the rotation axis, and a power transmission mechanism is provided between the motor and the reducer. The reducer includes a hollow-part and a tubular-member. The tubular-member passes through the hollow-part, one end of which is fixed to the input-shaft or the output-shaft, and the other end of which protrudes from the input-shaft or the output-shaft. The output-side encoder includes a scale and a sensor. The scale is fixed to the tubular-member; and the sensor is fixed to the input-shaft or the output-shaft.

The invention relates to a portable device (1) for amplifying an axial force applied to a tool, which includes: means (100) for linking the device to a user; means (2) for guiding the tool (4) it translation along a longitudinal axis (X); means for actuating the tool, including a drain (5) provided with a motor (6) and a rope (7) rigidly connected to the tool (4) and forming at least one turn (8) around the drum (5); and means for controlling the actuating means in order to apply a force to the tool in response to a force provided by the user via a control member. The means (100) for linking, tile device to the user and the means (2) for guiding the tool (4) in translation allow the tool (4) to rotate freely about the longitudinal axis (X) and about at least one axis (Z, Y) extending in a plane (P) which is normal to the longitudinal axis (X).

A method of initializing the layout of one or more robotic arms controllable by an input object, comprising: entering a paused mode, in which control of movement of the robotic arms by the input object is paused; measuring an input object initialization layout, defined by the layout of at least one segment of the input object; actuating at least a portion of the robotic arms to match the input object initialization layout; and entering a controlled mode, in which movements of the input object control the robotic arms.

A programming method for a robot arm includes setting and saving operational configurations of the robot arm, establishing an operation process of the robot arm, selecting the operational position icon for applying to the operation sub-process, displaying a selected operational position icon and an operational configuration sub-icon, modifying an operational configuration displayed on the operational configuration sub-icon for facilitating to execute a programming process of the robot arm.