A gripping mechanism includes a holder, a gripping roller, and a lever. The gripping roller is housed within the holder and grips an object between the roller and an inner surface of the holder. The lever releases gripping of the object by pushing the gripping roller upward. Preferably, the holder includes two plate sections which support a weight of the gripping roller. An opening is located between the two plate sections. The opening receives insertion of the object. One of the two plate sections is inclined relative to a vertical direction.

The present disclosure relates to magnetic coupling devices. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to magnetic coupling devices configured to be linearly actuated and de-actuated.

A bulk workpiece picking system is configured by including: a robot which is provided with an electromagnetic hand capable of magnetically attracting a metal workpiece; a determination section which determines whether or not the workpiece is magnetically attracted by the electromagnetic hand; and a magnetic force control section which controls the magnetic force of the electromagnetic hand, the magnetic force control section being configured such that: before it is determined by the determination section that the magnetic attraction is performed; the magnetic force control section sets a magnitude of the magnetic force of the electromagnetic hand so that the electromagnetic hand can suspend one workpiece and cannot suspend two workpieces; and then, after it is determined by the determination section that the magnetic attraction is performed, the magnetic force control section increases the magnetic force of the electromagnetic hand.

Features are disclosed for an overpackage that can contain an object and provide for automated identification and handling of the object by a robotic retrieval system. The automated identification and handling are enabled through self-identifying marks on the overpackage that indicate the identity of the overpackage as well as the relative location of the mark on the overpackage. Using the location information, a robot or other autonomous actor of the robotic retrieval system can identify a path to a pick point and detect whether the proper pick point is engaged through additional identifiers on the overpackage or a pick point.

Apparatus and methods for destacking objects are disclosed. An apparatus includes a robotic arm, and an end effector connected to the robotic arm. The end effector including a grasping element for grasping an object and means for clearing a surface of the object before the grasping element grasps the object at the surface. A method for mechanically destacking dishware involves moving an end effector near to a top dish in a stack of dishware, clearing an area on a surface of the top dish by sweeping a scraper bar of a scraper mechanism over the surface of the top dish in a first direction, wherein the scraper bar is mechanically connected to the end effector, and grasping, with a grasping element of the end effector, the top dish at the area on the surface of the top dish that has been cleared by the scraper.

A process and tool for installing and removing various kinds of wear parts used with earth working equipment. The process and tool allows the operator to remove and install the wear parts at a safe distance so that the operator is physically remote from the potential risks of the removal and installation process. The tool may be manually operated via an operator or the tool may be a semi-automated or fully automated.

In a picking mechanism for picking four or more columnar objects, when the plurality of objects have been picked, the objects are respectively held by holding member and supported by guide members while arranged on a base member in a plurality of rows, wherein a total sectional area of the guide members provided in regions of the base member that are each surrounded by circumferences of four circles serving as projections of four objects is smaller than a total sectional area of the guide members provided in regions of the base member that are each surrounded by one or two sides of a virtual rectangle, the virtual rectangle being formed so as to surround all of a plurality of circles serving as the projections of all of the plurality of objects while contacting the circumferences of the plurality of circles, and two or one of the projections.

A robot end effector includes a stationary plate having at least one stabbing pin extending therefrom and an ejector plate, adjacent to the stationary plate, having a at least one aperture through which the at least one stabbing pin extends. An actuator assembly comprising an actuator coupled to an ejector post via a linkage assembly advances and retracts the ejector post through a support, the ejector post extending through an aperture in the stationary plate and having a distal end coupled to the ejector plate. The ejector post increases separation of the ejector plate from the stationary plate when the ejector post is advanced through the support.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a cloud computer system for controlling a plurality of remote devices comprising a cloud server including a cloud based operating system comprising a data model stored in a computer memory. The data model includes commands that may be performed by a plurality of remote devices in a remote system and, for each remote device, one or more operations for triggering processes executed by the remote device. The cloud based operating system generates a set of instructions from the plurality of commands and corresponding operations to control a portion of the remote devices to perform a task.

A system for placing a composite ply includes a transfer end effector that is movable relative to a carrier transfer device, configured to convey a ply carrier that supports the composite ply, and a placement end effector that is movable relative to the transfer end effector and to a forming tool. The transfer end effector is configured to remove the ply carrier, supporting the composite ply, from the carrier transfer device and to position the ply carrier for removal by the placement end effector. The placement end effector is configured to remove the ply carrier from the transfer end effector and to apply the composite ply to the forming tool.