A hand device includes: a hand base (40a); a first finger (40b) which extends from a tip of the hand base (40a) in a longitudinal direction while bending to the hand base (40a); a second finger (40c) attached to the hand base (40a) so as to face a surface of the hand base (40a) side of a tip of the first finger (40b); and a drive mechanism (40e) which actuates the second finger (40c) so that a tip of the second finger (40c) approaches or separates from the first finger (40b).

A robotic manipulator can include fingers with rigid members. The fingers may be movable by actuators that are responsive to fluid pressure. A piston may be movable in a chamber to communicate fluid pressure changes from the chamber. The chamber may be fluidly coupled with the actuators so that movement of the piston communicates fluid pressure changes that actuate multiple fingers.

A robotic system includes a movable platform disposed at a bottom of a work volume, the movable platform being configured to transit outside the work volume, at least three lifters disposed about a perimeter of the work volume, two or more sensors disposed at fixed locations about the work volume, and a memory including a neural network. A controller is in operative communication with the memory, the two or more sensors, and the lifters. The controller is configured to receive output signals from the two or more sensors, determine, based processing on the received signals with the neural network, whether the deformable laundry article suspended by two lifters is repositioned, and instruct, based on a determination of the deformable laundry article being repositioned, the lifters to lower the repositioned deformable laundry article onto the movable platform.

A cooking system comprising two or more cooking apparatuses, each capable of cooking a food from one or more foods and/or one or more food ingredients. A semi-cooked food is produced in a first cooking apparatus and is used as an ingredient in a second cooking apparatus. The cooking apparatuses work together to produce cooked food from food or food ingredients. A computer system is used to control the cooking system.

A workpiece transport unit including a pair of arms, an opening/closing mechanism configured to open and close the pair of arms in a horizontal direction, a pair of first placement surfaces provided at the pair of arms and configured for a first workpiece to be placed thereon, and a pair of second placement surfaces provided at the pair of arms and configured for a second workpiece to be placed thereon.

A robot control apparatus includes a processor that is configured to execute computer-executable instruction so as to control a robot including a force detection section, wherein the processor is configured to reset the force detection section before a first target object is inserted into a second target object and after the first target object has been inserted into the second target object.

A part support apparatus for supporting a plurality of parts which form a product by being connected to each other includes a plurality of support robots arranged in a work space and supporting the plurality of parts, a control unit controlling the plurality of support robots, and a storage unit storing a form pattern of each support robot corresponding to a type of a product. Each of the plurality of support robots includes a support unit supporting a part, and a multiaxial robot to which the support unit is attached, and which changes the posture and position of the support unit. The control unit controls the posture and position of each support unit by the multiaxial robot based on the form pattern, such that the plurality of parts are arranged to be connectable to each other.

A tire rubber extruder automatic loading and management system is provided for continuous and automatic control of a rubber extrusion line. Batches of rubber slab material, whether for sidewall or tread, are connected in an automated manner to provide a continuous material stream for feeding a tread extruder supply conveyor within a tire manufacturing system. Joiner between adjacent slabs are implemented utilizing a stitched joint of material. Stitch pins are driven through both rubber slab layers to a specific depth into a clearance hole to create an optimized rubber mechanical adhesion zone. The result is a funnel shaped adhesion channel penetrating entirely through the layers of material perpendicular to the direction slab movement and tension. The resulting rivet like button structures are extremely strong, have no Impurities that could otherwise be added via adhesives, and can be formed in an automated manner within the available process cycle times.

A robotic gripping device with a preshaper is provided. The robotic gripping device includes two opposable fingers, each finger having a deformable gripping surface, a base, and a fingertip. The robotic gripping device also includes an actuator coupled to the base of each of the fingers, wherein the actuator is configured to move the fingers toward and away from each other. The robotic gripping device also includes a preshaper component positionable between the fingers, wherein when the fingers are moved toward each other by the actuator and the deformable gripping surface of each finger contacts the preshaper component, the deformable gripping surface of each finger is deformed by the preshaper component such that the fingertips of each finger are curled inward toward each other.

An end effector of the industrial robot has an end effector base portion connected to a robot arm, a first object holding mechanism provided to the end effector base portion so as to hold a first type of object to be handled, a second object holding unit for holding a second type of object to be handled, and a unit holding mechanism provided to the end effector base portion so as to releasably hold the second object holding unit. The second object holding unit which is held by the unit holding mechanism is driven by the first object holding mechanism. The end effector is capable of considerably enlarging a range of kind and size of an object which can be handled while suppressing increase of manufacturing cost and decline in credibility and increase in changing hand installation space accompanying complication of the configuration.