An articulated robot having an arm, a drive motor for driving the arm, a gas spring for supporting a load acting on the arm to reduce a load of the drive motor and a control unit for controlling the drive motor. The control unit has a function of estimating a decrease state of a gas sealed inside the gas spring based on an actual current value of the drive motor obtained at a stop position at which the drive motor is operated and stopped in an energized state. Thus, the decrease state of the gas sealed inside the gas spring can be estimated based on the current value of a servo motor without causing decline in operation rate of the robot and the like.

A robot includes a robot arm, a balancer, and a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion. The balancer is pressurized in advance by a predetermined amount of pressure and contracted to a dimension smaller than a predetermined mounting dimension of the robot arm. The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are disposed on the robot arm to respectively accept a first end and a second end of the balancer so that the first end and the second end of the balancer are mounted on the robot arm. At least one mounting portion among the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion accepts the corresponding end, among the first end and the second end, of the balancer in a direction approximately parallel to a direction in which the balancer is expanded and contracted.

Milking robot device for automatically milking a dairy animal, comprising a milking box having milking cups and a robot arm having an end effector for applying the milking cups to the teats of the dairy animal, on which milking box the robot arm is suspended above the dairy animal to be milked. The robot arm comprises a first arm part connected to the milking box by a first joint, and a second arm part connected to the first arm part by a second joint and provided with an end effector. The first and second arm part, respectively, is pivotable in a vertical plane with respect to the milking box and the first arm part, respectively, by a first and second actuator, respectively. The end effector is movable within an operating range by the robot arm. The milking robot comprises a weight compensation device having a spring device between the milking box and the robot arm. This is configured to exert a first torque about the first joint and a second torque about the second joint, in such a way that, viewed over the operating range, the first torque compensates for the torque exerted by gravity on the arm about the first joint by at least half, in particular by at least 90%, and the second torque compensates for the torque exerted by gravity on the arm about the second joint by at least half, in particular by at least 90%. Consequently, a compact robot arm is provided, the joints which are suspended relatively high up can be protected from dirt in an efficient manner, and they can be operated using much lighter actuators, so that a great deal of energy can also be saved.

A load balancing device for a robot arm including a pneumatic cylinder and a piston rod is provided. The pneumatic cylinder, used to store a gas, includes a first chamber, a second chamber and a communicating passage, wherein the communicating passage connects the first chamber and the second chamber. The piston rod has one end connected to the robot arm and the other end slidably disposed in the pneumatic cylinder. The piston rod adjusts the volume and the pressure of the gas in the first chamber and the second chamber according to a load, wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are coaxially disposed in the axial direction of the pneumatic cylinder.

New multi-computer architecture allows for the protection of personal computers to reinforce online security. The disclosed system encompasses intermediate lock-computer and unidirectional internal interfaces based on novel principles providing complete security while sending information to world wide web and reliable filtering of unwanted software while receiving information from the Internet and a secure way to send and receive data through public networks utilizing optical signals and LiFi connections. A key physical principle is the physical separation of dataflow from web-connected computer to intermediate lock-computer to the main personal computer and the counter data flow from main computer to lock-computer to web-connected computer. The usage of optical cables are more secure than electrical because the optical cables do not emit any Radio Frequency Energy (RF Energy) which are susceptible to hacking and the use of Light Fidelity (LiFi) which allows for wireless network capabilities without omitting any RF Energy.

New multi-computer architecture allows for the protection of personal computers to reinforce online security. The disclosed system encompasses intermediate lock-computer and unidirectional internal interfaces based on novel principles providing complete security while sending information to world wide web and reliable filtering of unwanted software while receiving information from the Internet and a secure way to send and receive data through public networks utilizing optical signals and LiFi connections. A key physical principle is the physical separation of dataflow from web-connected computer to intermediate lock-computer to the main personal computer and the counter data flow from main computer to lock-computer to web-connected computer. The usage of optical cables are more secure than electrical because the optical cables do not emit any Radio Frequency Energy (RF Energy) which are susceptible to hacking and the use of Light Fidelity (LiFi) which allows for wireless network capabilities without omitting any RF Energy.

A motorized articulated arm coordinate measuring machine (AACMM) includes a base, a plurality of motorized arm segments, a measurement probe, and an electronic circuit for directing movement of the measurement probe to obtain three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of points on an object. At least one of the motorized arm segments includes a motorized cartridge.

A passively balanced load-adaptive upper limb exoskeleton. An upper arm (A), an elbow (B), a forearm (C), and a hand (D) are arranged sequentially from left to right. An upper arm upper rod (A1) and an upper arm lower rod (A2) each are hinge-connected to an upper arm elbow housing via a bearing. A forearm upper rod (C1) and a forearm lower rod (C2) each are hinge-connected to a forearm elbow housing via a bearing. An upper arm support rod (E) is disposed between an upper arm driving mechanism (A4) and an upper arm elbow assembly (B1). One end of the upper arm support rod is fixedly connected to two upper arm support rod slide blocks (9) in the upper arm driving mechanism, and the other end thereof is hinge-connected to protruding shafts on two sides of an upper arm lead screw nut connection member via bearings. A forearm-upper arm support rod is disposed between a forearm driving mechanism (C4) and a forearm elbow assembly (B2). One end of the forearm-upper arm support rod (K) is fixedly connected to two upper arm support rod slide blocks in the forearm driving mechanism, and the other end thereof is hinge-connected to protruding shafts on two sides of a forearm lead screw nut connection member via bearings. The hand is hinge-connected to a wrist. The upper limb exoskeleton of the invention is used to facilitate handling of heavy goods or carrying of certain items.

New multi-computers architecture allows protection of personal computer by the combined hardware and software means reinforcing online security to the safety level not achievable using software security means alone. The disclosed system encompasses intermediate lock-computer and unidirectional internal interfaces based on novel principles providing complete security while sending information to world wide web and reliable filtering out of unwanted software while receiving information from Internet. One of the key principles underlying the present invention is physical separation of dataflow from web-connected computer to intermediate lock-computer to the main personal computer and the counter dataflow from main computer to lock-computer to web-connected computer. The interfaces in direct data flow from Internet to personal computer and in the counter dataflow may be based on different physical and system principles including novel two-dimensional image-based interface. Effectively, the disclosed methods and apparatuses provide five levels of computer defense, including four principally new levels of defense.

A tool-holding arm includes a plurality of links and a tool coupling that removably secures a tool to the tool-holding arm. A first fluid spring provides a gravity-counteracting force to the tool-holding arm. A locking mechanism selectively locks the first fluid spring. An adjustment mechanism selectively adjusts an amount of the gravity-counteracting force provided by the first fluid spring.