A gripper assembly is disclosed. The gripper assembly includes a stage, a mounting platform, and a plurality of the flexible gripper elements. The flexible gripper element is configured to grip an object. The flexible gripper elements are supported by a first end piece, where the first end piece is attached to the mounting platform. The mounting platform is connected to the stage, where the stage is moveable. The flexible gripper element includes a hollow section that is selectively pressurizable. The hollow section includes one or more zones, where each zone includes chambers which are pressurizable by a fluid input. The selective pressurization of the hollow section allows the flexible gripper element to grip the object.

Robotic picking devices and methods for performing a picking operation. The methods described herein may involve determining that a picking device is unable to grasp an item and then performing, using a perturbation mechanism, a perturbation operation to perturb the item so that the picking device is more likely to grasp the item by executing a subsequent grasp attempt.

Robotic picking devices and methods for performing a picking operation. The methods described herein may involve determining that a picking device is unable to grasp an item and then performing, using a perturbation mechanism, a perturbation operation to perturb the item so that the picking device is more likely to grasp the item by executing a subsequent grasp attempt.

A robot control unit for a substrate conveying robot raises a hand from a first lower position below a first target position at which the hand picks up a substrate to a first upper position above the first target position, and displaces at least one of a plurality of joints in one direction, in a first interval from the first lower position to a first intermediate position between the first lower position and the first target position.

A robot control unit for a substrate conveying robot raises a hand from a first lower position below a first target position at which the hand picks up a substrate to a first upper position above the first target position, and displaces at least one of a plurality of joints in one direction, in a first interval from the first lower position to a first intermediate position between the first lower position and the first target position.

A robot hand, and a robot hand control method and program are provided that are capable of performing an assembly task at high speed while alleviating shock between a gripped object (20) and an assembly target object (22). A robot hand (100) includes a hand (12), a displacement sensor (14), an estimation section, and a controller (16). The hand (12) includes an anti-slip mechanism at a contact portion with the gripped object (20) and a mechanism capable of anisotropic movement in three degrees of freedom under external force. The displacement sensor (14) is configured to detect a displacement amount of the hand (12) when an external force has been applied to the hand (12) from a state of mechanical equilibrium existing prior to application of the external force. Based on the displacement amount detected by the sensor, the estimation section is configured to estimate position-orientation-displacement amounts of the gripped object (20) when the gripped object (20) is being assembled to an assembly target object (22). The controller (16) includes a control section configured to control the hand (12) based on the position/orientation-displacement amounts of the gripped object as estimated by the estimation section so as to assemble the gripped object (20) to the assembly target object (22).

The present disclosure relates to a gripper and a robot. The gripper according to the present disclosure includes at least three guiding rails arranged head to tail in sequence, at least three gripping fingers respectively disposed on the at least three guiding rails and a driving mechanism. A first end of each of the gripping fingers is slidably connected to the corresponding guiding rail and a second end of each of the gripping fingers is for contacting the object to be gripped. The driving mechanism drives each of the gripping fingers to move along the corresponding guiding rail, so that the second end of each of the gripping fingers moves toward or away from a gripping center of the gripper.

A robot hand includes: a first link; a first fixed pulley and a second fixed pulley, respectively provided at a proximal end pivot part of the first link and rotatable around a first axis; a second link, supported at an intermediate pivot part by the first link to be rotatable around a second axis; a lever link, supported by the proximal end pivot part of the first link to be rotatable around the first axis; a lever pulley, supported by the lever link; a hanging cable, hung on the first fixed pulley, the lever pulley, and the second fixed pulley; a conversion mechanism, connecting the lever link and the second link, and converting rotation of the lever link into rotation of the second link; and a second link driving mechanism, rotating the lever link around the first axis by pulling the hanging cable.

A robot hand includes: a first link; a first fixed pulley and a second fixed pulley, respectively provided at a proximal end pivot part of the first link and rotatable around a first axis; a second link, supported at an intermediate pivot part by the first link to be rotatable around a second axis; a lever link, supported by the proximal end pivot part of the first link to be rotatable around the first axis; a lever pulley, supported by the lever link; a hanging cable, hung on the first fixed pulley, the lever pulley, and the second fixed pulley; a conversion mechanism, connecting the lever link and the second link, and converting rotation of the lever link into rotation of the second link; and a second link driving mechanism, rotating the lever link around the first axis by pulling the hanging cable.

The present application firstly discloses a cooking system comprising two cooking apparatuses, each capable of producing a cooked food from food or food ingredient(s). The first cooking apparatus comprises a plurality of microwave ovens which can be moved by an intermittent motion mechanism or a transport system. The second cooking apparatus comprises a cookware and a motion mechanism to move the cookware to dispense a cooked food to a food container. A semi-cooked food is produced by a microwave oven of the first cooking apparatus and is used as an ingredient in the second cooking apparatus to produce cooked food.