There is provided a glove donning device that includes (a) a hollow tube having an annular opening, (b) a vacuum head configured to acquire a glove having an opening, (c) a pair of hooks, (d) a first transporter configured to move the vacuum head and the glove towards the pair of hooks so that the pair of hooks is inserted into the opening of the glove, (e) a hook actuator configured to move the pair of hooks apart after the pair of hooks is inserted in the opening of the glove, and (f) a second transporter configured to (i) move the pair of hooks and the glove towards the hollow tube, and (ii) move the pair of hooks to position the glove opening over the annular opening of the hollow tube.

An end effector, which is connected to a wafer transfer robot, includes a main member, a sensor and a lid. The main member has a first room on a side thereof, in which the sensor is received. The lid is fixed to the main member to cover the sensor. The sensor transmits a vibration signal to a central controller when the main member is vibrating. The end effect may work in a narrow space to transfer wafers and still keep high sensible and precise detection of vibration.

An equipment for automatically feeding parcels to a sorting conveyor, the equipment having a platform for temporarily storing a pile of parcels arranged loosely, a first vision system designed to form a digital image of the loose pile of parcels while the pile is stationary on the platform, a processor unit having setting data for responding to the digital image by identifying a parcel for singulating that presents a grip face that is not covered by another parcel, and by supplying indicative data about the three-dimensional position, the orientation in three dimensions, and the dimensions of the grip face, and a pneumatic gripper head of a robotic arm that is controlled on the basis of the data so as to take hold of the parcel for singulating by its grip face.

The invention relates to grasping system comprising a grasping head (15) for a sheet transporting device, in particular for transporting an insert sheet to be inserted between rows of folding boxes in a receptacle, the grasping head (15) having at least one support frame (80) and a plurality of aspiration elements (17, 18). The aspiration elements (17, 18) are mounted on holding elements (50) which are received on the support frame (80) so as to be displaceable with respect to the support frame (80).

The invention provides a controllable gripper for a robot. A plurality of gripping members, e.g. suction cups, are arranged to engage with a surface of an object to be gripped. The gripping members are arranged in a controllable gripping configuration. A base part is arranged to be moved by a robotic actuator, e.g. a gantry type of robotic actuator. Two or more arms connected to the base part are slidably arranged along their lengths relative to the base part. Each arm has a gripping member at or near its distal end. A controllable actuator system is arranged to control position of the arms in different directions, relative to the base part, thus allowing various gripping configurations to be formed with respect to at least size. Especially, four arms of fixed length, each with a suction cup, may be actuated by one or two electric motors, so a to allow the four suction cups to form various gripping quadrangle sizes. This allows the gripper to be capable of gripping small and large objects in random order, since the gripping configuration can be rapidly changed. Still, the gripper can be formed rather simple with few elements, and yet it is flexible and can be very compact in a compressed state of the arms to allow navigation into narrow spaces, e.g. to grip an object in a 3D bulk of objects. The gripper is preferably mounted to a robotic actuator by means of a controllable rotation and tilting arrangement.

A vacuum material handler (10) has a vacuum beam (12) supported by an adaptor block (60) attached to a rotator (50). A vacuum pad (40) is carried beneath the vacuum beam (12). The vacuum beam (14) has a motor (20) that powers a pump (30). The adaptor block (60) has a body (64) and arms (70/71) having receivers thereon for receiving an upper pin assembly that may be carried by host equipment. The host equipment locates foe upper pin assembly within foe receivers where the upper pin (66) may be clamped into place, thereby conducting all heavy lifting with foe host equipment.

A vacuum device for a material handling system includes a vacuum device body and a sealing element. The vacuum device body has a vacuum passageway in which a vacuum is generated in response to activation of a pressurized air supply that forces pressurized air through a venturi device. The sealing element moves to a sealing position to substantially seal the vacuum passageway when the air supply is activated, and is urged toward the sealing position via pressurized air that is diverted from an inlet of the vacuum device to the sealing element. The sealing element moves to substantially vent the vacuum passageway when the air supply is deactivated. The vacuum passageway may be in fluid communication with a vacuum cup, which seals against the object when the sealing element is at the sealing position and the vacuum generating device generates at least a partial vacuum in the vacuum. passageway.

A workpiece holding apparatus includes: a main body; at least one shaft member capable of coming into contact with a workpiece; a clamping device into which the shaft member is inserted, the clamping device being attached to the main body and capable of switching between an unclamping state that releases the shaft member and a clamping state that clamps the shaft member; and a trigger member configured to switch the clamping device between the unclamping state and the clamping state. The trigger member comes into direct contact with the workpiece, or comes into indirect contact with the workpiece via at least a part of the shaft member, thus moving relative to the main body, and the clamping device switches from the unclamping state to the clamping state.

A hand mechanism including a first multi-joint finger, a second multi-joint finger, and a single-joint finger rotatable about a center of a predetermined connecting portion together with the first and second multi-joint fingers. The mechanism executes a first mode in which the respective entire fingers of the first and second multi-joint fingers are rotated in an identical direction using a connecting portion with respect to an attachment member when driven by a driving actuator, and a second mode in which a finger section other than a first predetermined finger section included in the first multi-joint finger is rotated with respect to the first predetermined finger section and a finger section other than a second predetermined finger section included in the second multi-joint finger is rotated with respect to the second predetermined finger section, when the rotation of the first and second predetermined finger sections are inhibited in the first mode.

A pliable structure includes a first impermeable layer, a second impermeable layer opposed from the first impermeable layer to at least partially define an internal volume between the first impermeable layer and the second impermeable layer, and a flow media layer disposed in the internal volume.