A compact cleaning apparatus including a robot with a narrow range of motion is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes: a cleaning chamber; a cleaning station; a drying station; a separation wall; a single axis robot including a column arranged adjacent to a side surface, a linear guide extending vertically, and a vertical moving saddle movable vertically; an arm portion including a first rotation saddle rotatable about a second axis extending vertically, a first arm swingable about a third axis extending horizontally and extending orthogonal to the third axis, a second arm rotatable about a fourth axis orthogonal to the third axis, a second rotation saddle rotatable about a fifth axis orthogonal to the fourth axis, a third rotation saddle rotatable about a sixth axis orthogonal to the fifth axis; and a hand for gripping a workpiece.

A mobile robot includes a movable platform including wheels, and a manipulator having a base supported by the movable platform and an arm attached to the base, wherein a base attachment surface to which the base is attached is inclined relative to a movement surface on which the movable platform is to move.

A system for controlling a flexible joint robot includes a control input dimension conversion part configured to receive a control input of a robot and convert the Cartesian coordinate system of the control input to the rotating workspace coordinate system; an entire flexible joint robot dynamics part configured to receive the control input and a disturbance and output a control output by multiplying the control input reflecting the disturbance by at least one determinant; and a disturbance observer configured to reflect the estimated disturbance in the control input by calculating an estimated disturbance obtained by estimating the disturbance, wherein the disturbance observer includes a mutual reaction force removal part including a determinant for removing mutual reaction force between joints of the robot; a low-pass filter; and an estimated-disturbance dimension conversion part.

A controller for robot arms and the like having mechanical singularities identities paths near the singularities and modifies those paths to avoid excessive joint movement according to a minimization of tool orientation deviation to produce alternative paths that minimize changes in the tool orientation such as can affect application such as welding, sealant application, coating and the like.

A method is provided for calibrating a manipulator and an external sensor. The method includes generating a first cloud map using depth information collected using a depth sensor, and generating a second cloud map using contact information collected using a contact sensor, which is coupled to an end effector of the manipulator. Thereafter, the first cloud map and the second cloud map are aligned to recover extrinsic parameters using the iterative closest point algorithm. The depth sensor is stationary relative to a base frame of the manipulator, and the depth information corresponding to a rigid structure is collected by capturing depth information from multiple vantage points by navigating the manipulator. The contact information is collected by moving an end effector of the manipulator over the rigid structure.

A system is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a matrix reservoir, and a fiber guide configured to separately receive a plurality of matrix-wetted reinforcements from the matrix reservoir. The system may also include a die configured to receive the plurality of matrix-wetted reinforcements from the fiber guide and to cause the plurality of matrix-wetted reinforcements to converge into a ribbon. The system may additionally include a cure enhancer configured to cure the matrix in the composite material during discharge of the ribbon from the die, and a support configured to move the die in multiple dimensions during discharge of the ribbon.

A telescoping extendable boom and a foldable telescoping extendable boom for transporting an item, are disclosed. The foldable telescoping extendable boom having tubular elements (12) and (14) and (15, 17, 18, 19) and (20) each arranged with a longitudinally extending track (25, 29) inside the tubular element. Each longitudinally extending track (25, 29) supports a single shuttle (26) and (30) respectively, internally inside its tubular element (17) and (15), respectively, for movement therealong. Each shuttle (26) and (30) is equipped with a clamp (27) and (30) to selectively clamp the item (298). The longitudinally extending tracks (25, 29) of immediately connecting telescoping tubular elements (17) and (15) are located opposite each other. The inner tubular elements inside said telescoping extendable boom are arranged at their near ends to allow their shuttles to access shuttles of outer tubular elements to enable the clamps (27) and (31) thereof to transfer a said item (298) therebetween.

A working device includes a link actuation device and a control device for the link actuation device. The control device includes: a storage unit configured to store a plurality of the target positions; a calculation unit configured to sequentially read out the respective target positions stored to calculate movement amounts and movement speeds of the respective actuators between the target positions; and a control unit configured to operate the respective actuators by the movement amounts and at the movement speeds of the respective actuators calculated by the calculation unit. The control unit is capable of changing acceleration and deceleration times of the actuators for each of the target positions.

A robot includes: a manipulator that is provided with an n-th (n is an integer of 1 or larger) arm which is capable of rotating around an n-th rotation axis, an (n+1)-th arm provided on the n-th arm to be capable of rotating around an (n+1)-th rotation axis having an axial direction which is different from an axial direction of the n-th rotation axis, and an (n+2)-th arm provided on the (n+1)-th arm to be capable of rotating around an (n+2)-th rotation axis. In a first state, an outline of the manipulator is positioned on an inner side of a first circle or on the first circle with the n-th rotation axis as the center thereof, and with first length between a distal end of the manipulator and the n-th rotation axis, as a radius, when viewed in the axial direction of the n-th rotation axis.

A robot includes a first arm rotatable around a first axis, a second arm connected to the first arm at a second axis which is parallel to the first axis and around which the second arm is rotatable, a third arm connected to the second arm at a third axis which is parallel to the first axis and around which the third arm is rotatable, a distal-end swingable portion rotatably connected to the third arm, a distal end rotatably connected to the distal-end swingable portion, a fourth actuator configured to rotate the distal-end swingable portion and including a first motor having a first motor rotation axis, and a fifth actuator configured to rotate the distal end and including a second motor having a second motor rotation axis that is parallel to the first motor rotation axis.