An entry guide tube and cannula assembly, a surgical system including the assembly, and a method of surgical instrument insertion are provided. In one embodiment, the assembly includes a cannula having a proximal portion that operably couples to an accessory clamp of a manipulator arm, and a distal tubular member coupled to the proximal portion, the tubular member having an opening for passage of at least one instrument shaft. The assembly also includes an entry guide tube rotatably coupled to the proximal portion of the cannula, the entry guide tube including a plurality of channels for passage of a plurality of instrument shafts, wherein the entry guide tube is rotatably driven relative to the proximal portion of the cannula by rotation of at least one instrument shaft about a longitudinal axis of the entry guide tube.

The present disclosure provides a method and system by which a precise amount of a viscous fluid sealing compound can be dispensed at required locations through computer vision-based observation of the fluid deposited, its rate and amount of deposition and location; and that the dispensed fluid may be accurately shaped through robotic or other special purpose mechanism motion. The invention enables instant quality inspection of the dispensing process in terms of the locations, amounts and shapes of newly created seals.

An end effector is to be attached to a tip-end part of a robotic arm and unpacks a cardboard box of which one or more flaps provided to one end of a side wall are fixed mutually or to the side wall to constitute one of end walls. The end effector includes a body part to be attached to the tip-end part of the robotic arm, a box holding part provided to the body part and configured to hold the cardboard box by holding a part of the cardboard box other than the one end wall, and a punching part provided to the body part and configured to form a through-hole in a wall of the cardboard box other than the one end wall.

A device is proposed for machining a workpiece using a robot which holds and moves the workpiece, in which the robot has a drive unit which is suitable for fixing the workpiece in a clamping device. According to the method the workpiece is placed in a clamping device by a robot and then machined after the workpiece has been fixed in the clamping device by means of the robot.

The specification and drawings present a robotic coating application system and a method for coating at least one part with a robotic coating application system. The robotic coating application system may comprise an enclosure configured to receive at least one part. The robotic coating application system may further comprise at least one robot configured to operate at least partially within the enclosure. The robotic coating application system may also comprise a graphical user interface to display a model of the at least one part and allow a user to select a portion or subportion of the model for application of a coating. The coating may be automatically applied to the at least one part based upon, at least in part, the user-selected portion or subportion.

An end effector for engaging flexible packaging materials includes a frame, along with a first and second wheel mounted for rotation with respect to the frame. The first wheel and the second wheel are mounted to the frame relative to each other so that the outer surfaces of the two wheels are positioned opposite of each other. The first wheel and the second wheel can be driven in opposing directions to effectively define a roller intake which can be used to draw the flexible packaging materials of a target parcel between the first wheel and the second wheel. The end effector of the present invention can be combined with a robot to provide an improved system for engaging the flexible packaging materials of a parcel.

The present disclosure provides an adhesive application system for an automated brick laying machine, the adhesive application system comprising an adhesive reservoir, an adhesive supply line extending from the reservoir to one or more nozzles configured to dispense adhesive, a first pump (a primary pump) positioned near to the reservoir, at least one further pump (secondary pump) positioned near to the or each of the nozzles, a supply line load cell positioned near to the or each secondary pump, and a control system, wherein in use, the control system controls operation of the primary pump in response to a supply pressure sensed at the supply line load cell. An adhesive applicator and method for controlling an adhesive application system are also disclosed.

An autonomous construction robotic system is disclosed which includes a processing unit, a robotic arm, the robotic arm is adapted to be coupled to a central attachment arm and thereby position the central attachment arm according to a plurality of degrees of freedom, a panel handling and fastening system, including a panel handling assembly coupled to the central attachment arm and adapted to pick and place a construction panel onto a framed structure within a construction zone, and a vision system adapted to provide visual information to the processing unit associated with the framed structure, wherein the processing unit processes the visual information to automatically determine placement position of the construction panel on the framed structure.

An articulatable member includes a distal end, a proximal end, an actuation member, and a constraint member. The actuation member extends from the proximal end to the distal end. The actuation member transmits force to bend the articulatable member from a neutral position. The constraint member extends from the proximal end to the distal end. The constraint member may have opposite ends that are fixed to the distal end and the proximal end. In one embodiment, the constraint member follows a helical path along at least a portion of the articulatable member from the proximal end to the distal end. In another embodiment, the actuation member follows a helical path along at least a portion of the articulatable member.

An instrument manipulator and a robotic surgical system including an instrument manipulator are provided. In one embodiment, an instrument manipulator includes a plurality of independent actuator drive modules, each of the plurality of actuator drive modules including an actuator output, wherein each of the actuator outputs are configured to independently actuate a corresponding actuator input of a surgical instrument without force input from another actuator output. The instrument manipulator further includes a frame housing the plurality of independent actuator drive modules, the frame including a distal end from which each of the actuator outputs distally protrude for engaging the corresponding actuator inputs of the surgical instrument.