An attachment for an industrial or farm vehicle is designed to engage, carry and unroll a round hay bale. The attachment can be adjusted to interact with hay bales of various lengths. The attachment includes a support structure with features to attach to the vehicle. A first end of a first arm is pivotably connected proximate a first end of the support structure. A first end of a second arm is pivotably connected proximate the first end of the support structure. A spacing link is pivotably connected to second ends of the first and second arms. A first hay bale spear is attached to the spacing link. A third arm has a first end pivotably connected proximate a second end of the support structure. A second hale bay spear is attached proximate to a second end of the third arm and faces toward the first hay bale spear.

The hand apparatus includes: a grasper that grasps a work; a grasper driving portion that causes the grasper to operate at a first position at which the grasper grasps the work, a second position at which the grasper is open widest, and a third position between the first position and the second position; a hand mechanism portion having a pair of hand portions that holds both ends in a width direction of the work grasped by the grasper and capable of varying an opening position of the pair of hand portions; an operating portion provided so as to be interlocked with an operation of the grasper and being connectable to the hand mechanism portion; and an actuator that causes the grasper to advance and retract, wherein when the grasper is at the second position, the hand mechanism portion is connected to the operating portion to vary the opening position of the pair of hand portions by being interlocked with the advancing and retracting movement of the grasper according to the actuator, and when the grasper is at the first position or the third position, the hand mechanism portion is disconnected from the operating portion to fix the opening position of the pair of hand portions.

A robot gripper, including at least two gripper fingers of a grasper assembly configured to perform grasping motions via actuation of independent cable ends of a plurality of cables, and configured to move toward or away from each other to perform the grasping motion. Wherein each gripper finger is actuated by a pair of cables, a cable of the pair slides in a flexible sheath when actuated by a motor, moving the gripper finger in an opposite direction of an other cable of the pair also in a flexible sheath, providing equal motions of each cable in the pair in opposite directions. A motor assembly including the motors is mounted at a location separate from the grasper assembly with the flexible sheathing extending between the assemblies. Such that the separate assembly mounting arrangement provides an improved ratio between a gripping force of the grippers versus the robot-lifted mass of the grasper assembly.

A gripper for industrial manipulators includes: at least two jaws one of which being movable allowing it to be opened and closed; and a gripper body. A first gripper body portion housing an actuator device and a second portion supporting the jaws and at least one pin element, defining a pivot axis of the movable jaw, or a pivot axis of at least one transmission element operatively interposed between the at least one movable jaw and the actuator device. The gripper arranged so that the pin element also acts as a locking pin to firmly lock together the first and second portions of the gripper body in assembled condition. The pin element having a circumferential groove which allows a snap coupling of the first portion and the second portion of the gripper body: an elastic element separating them and engaging the edge of one of the two in the groove.

A workpiece manipulation system is disclosed. The workpiece manipulation system is configured to provide high-precision manipulation of a workpiece by an aircraft. The workpiece manipulation system comprises a lifting mechanism to couple with the aircraft, an end-effector, and a processor. The lifting mechanism includes one or more joint actuators to extend or retract the lifting mechanism relative to the aircraft. The end-effector includes an end-effector actuator to control an operation of the end-effector to manipulate the workpiece. The processor is communicatively coupled with an aircraft processor and configured to control operation of the end-effector actuator and the one or more joint actuators.

The proximal phalanx of an underactuated mechanical finger includes a cam fixed on a linkage. Upon actuation, the linkage rotates the cam, which then drives a cam follower, which then drives an extensible part in the distal phalanx to extend the length of the finger, and therefore compensate the finger's height loss that would otherwise occur in the absence of the extensible part.

A gripper assembly includes a four bar linkage and one or a pair of carriages the move longitudinally on rails. The linkage includes a means for maintaining the paddles in a mutually parallel orientation, which can be a link or a timing belt.

A gripper and a robot are provided. The gripper may include a shell and at least two finger assemblies. The finger assemblies are utilized to grasp an object on two opposite sides of the object. Each finger assembly may include a connecting rod, a pad portion and a layer of synthetic fibrillar adhesive. The connecting rod may be movably connected to the shell. The pad portion may be connected to the connecting rod, and the connecting rod may move the pad portion towards the object under a driving force. The layer of synthetic fibrillar adhesive may be attached to the pad portion. Microfibers of the layer of synthetic fibrillar adhesive may be inclined away from the shell.

Disclosed are various embodiments of a three-dimensional perception and object manipulation robot gripper configured for connection to and operation in conjunction with a robot arm. In some embodiments, the gripper comprises a palm, a plurality of motors or actuators operably connected to the palm, a mechanical manipulation system operably connected to the palm, a plurality of fingers operably connected to the motors or actuators and configured to manipulate one or more objects located within a workspace or target volume that can be accessed by the fingers. A depth camera system is also operably connected to the palm. One or more computing devices are operably connected to the depth camera and are configured and programmed to process images provided by the depth camera system to determine the location and orientation of the one or more objects within a workspace, and in accordance therewith, provide as outputs therefrom control signals or instructions configured to be employed by the motors or actuators to control movement and operation of the plurality of fingers so as to permit the fingers to manipulate the one or more objects located within the workspace or target volume. The gripper can also be configured to vary controllably at least one of a force, a torque, a stiffness, and a compliance applied by one or more of the plurality of fingers to the one or more objects.

A packing gripper system has a load carrying device of a carrying and handling station for gripping, clamping, and lifting vertically directed depositing of individual plate and individual sheet packages into suitably sized container openings of holding and storage containers. The load carrying device is equipped with an expedient and fail-safe motion drive, which enables the gripper fingers to perform horizontally directed gripping and clamping and vertically directed lifting and setting down operations.