A maintenance jig for a balancer of a robot includes a balancer with a casing closed at both ends by two end plates, each having a through hole, a movable member disposed in the casing, movable in an axial direction of the casing, a rod, one end of which is fixed to the movable member and another end of which is disposed outside the casing, and a force generating member accommodated in the casing. The force generating member generates a pulling force that pulls the rod into the casing. The maintenance jig includes a first member detachably fixed to the other end plate, a second member includes a male screw portion to be fastened to a screw hole of the first member, and a rotational force input unit through which a rotational force is input.

A suspension device for balancing a weight, especially a suspension device allowing a patient or a limb of a patient to be at least partially supported in a predetermined direction, includes a frame, a direction guide for the supportive movement, a lever for pivotal connection between the direction guide and the frame around a first axis and at least one spring assembly connecting the lever with the frame. The lever has a second pivotal axis in a distance from the connection between the first pivotal axis and the attachment of the direction guide. The at least one spring assembly is pivotally attached between that second pivotal axis and a fourth pivotal axis connected with the frame.

Provided is a master-slave system that causes no unintended operation. A master-slave system includes: a master device having a first link structure; a slave device having a second link structure similar to the first link structure; and a connecting portion that mechanically connects corresponding links of the first link structure and the second link structure so that the corresponding links have the same angle. The first link structure and the second link structure include respective similar parallel links. In addition, the connecting portion connects corresponding links provided at proximal ends of the first link structure and the second link structure to form a four-bar linkage.

According to one embodiment, an arm structure includes a base, a first link, a second link, a connecting member, and a gravity compensation mechanism. The first and the second links are rotatable in a vertical direction. One end side of the first link is pivotally attached to the base via a first rotating shaft. One end side of the second link is pivotally attached to another end side of the first link via a second rotating shaft. A length of the first link is same as a length of the second link. The second link rotates around the second rotating shaft. A rotation angle of the second link is twice a rotation angle of the first link. A rotation direction of the second link is opposite to a rotation direction of the first link. The gravity compensation mechanism compensates for torque generated around the first rotating shaft by gravity.

A robot includes an arm supporting part, a rotary arm rotatably supported by the arm supporting part, a drive motor configured to rotate the rotary arm, a gas spring configured to reduce a load of the drive motor by supporting a load acting on the rotary arm and a controller. The controller determines that the rotary arm rotates, and estimates a reduced state of gas in the gas spring based on a comparison between an actual current value and a theoretical current value of the drive motor when the rotary arm rotates.

A robot arm including a rotating body connected to a base, an arm rotating about a central axis of the rotating body, a moving pulley provided at the arm and revolving along a circular track which is concentric with the rotating body, a reference pulley provided at the base and positioned on an inner side with respect to the circular track, a spring embedded in the arm and compressed or stretched in a lengthwise direction of the arm, a string compressing the spring and wound around the moving pulley and the reference pulley, and a plurality of roller bearings arranged to be spaced apart from each other along an outer circumference of the rotating body, rotating about a rotation axis parallel to the central axis of the rotating body, and configured to be in contact with the string is provided.

A non-Cartesian coordinate positioning machine that includes an extendable leg assembly for positioning a component such as a measurement probe within a working volume of the machine. The extendable leg assembly includes a first member and a second member which move relative to one another when the extendable leg assembly changes length. The first member including an axial arrangement of magnets forming part of a linear motor for extending and retracting the extendable leg assembly, and at least one resilient member for absorbing at least some of any axial thermal expansion or contraction of the magnets in use.

Systems and methods related to construction, configuration, and utilization of humanoid robotic systems and aspects thereof are described. A system may include a mobile base, a spine structure, a body structure, and at least one robotic arm, each of which is movably configured to have significant human-scale capabilities in prescribed environments. The one or more robotic arms may be rotatably coupled to the body structure, which may be mechanically associated with the mobile base, which is preferably configured for holonomic or semi-holonomic motion through human scale travel pathways that are ADA compliant. Aspects of the one or more arms may be counterbalanced with one or more spring-based counterbalancing mechanisms which facilitate backdriveability and payload features.

Described herein is an arm supporting exoskeleton, comprising an arm link mechanism. The arm link mechanism comprises a proximal link, a distal link, an arm coupler, and a variable force generator. The distal link is rotatable relative to the proximal link. The arm coupler is adapted to couple an upper arm of a person to the distal link. The variable force generator comprises a first spring and a second spring, configured to create a torque between the proximal link and the distal link. In the first force mode, the variable force generator exhibits a first stiffness rate defined by the first spring that supports the upper arm of the person against gravity forces and. In the second force mode, the variable force generator exhibits a second stiffness rate defined by the first spring and the second spring that supports the upper arm of the person against the gravity forces.

A system may include a mobile base, a spine structure, a body structure, and at least one robotic arm, each of which is movably configured to have significant human-scale capabilities in prescribed environments. The one or more robotic arms may be rotatably coupled to the body structure, which may be mechanically associated with the mobile base, which is preferably configured for holonomic or semi-holonomic motion through human scale travel pathways that are ADA compliant. Aspects of the one or more arms may be counterbalanced with one or more spring-based counterbalancing mechanisms which facilitate backdriveability and payload features.