Provided is a device, comprising: a barrier configured to impeded or prevent particles shed by a robot in a first volume of space from entering a second volume of space in which the robot manipulates a workpiece; and a robot having three or more degrees of freedom, the robot comprising: a first portion disposed on a first side of the barrier in the first volume, the first portion comprising an actuator of the robot, the actuator being configured to drive movement of the robot to manipulate the workpiece; and a second portion disposed on a second side of the barrier in the second volume, the second portion comprising an end-effector of the robot by which the robot makes contact with the workpiece.

Provided is an alimentary-product assembling and dispensing device comprising: a plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers positioned to dispense respective ingredients in a plurality of different locations of a robotic work environment; a robot configured to receive an open-top vessel from an open-top-vessel dispenser and move the open-top vessel to the different locations to receive different ingredients from the plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers, wherein the robot comprises four or fewer degrees of freedom; and a vending aperture through which consumers retrieve vended alimentary products assembled by the robot from ingredients dispensed from the plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers.

Provided is a process, including: engaging, with a first subset of end effectors of a robot, a first open-top vessel; engaging, while the first subset of end effectors are engaged with the first open-top vessel, with a second subset of end effectors of the robot, a second open-top vessel; concurrently transporting the first open-top vessel and the second open-top vessel with two or more actuators; disengaging the first open-top vessel at a first workstation of the robot, the first workstation being configured to dispense a first alimentary product into the first open-top vessel; and disengaging the second open-top vessel at a second workstation of the robot, the second workstation being configured to dispense a second alimentary product into the second open-top vessel.

Provided is a robot, including: a controller; a plurality of actuators mechanically coupled to an end-effector mount; a first set of end-effectors magnetically coupled to the end-effector mount; and a sensor adjacent an interface between at least some of the first set of end effectors and the end-effector mount, wherein: the end effectors are magnetically coupled to the end-effector mount with magnetic couplings that decouple in response to less than 200 Newtons of force being applied to distal portions of respective end effectors in a direction opposing movement of respective end effectors driven by at least some of the actuators, and the sensor is configured to output a signal indicative of a given end effector decoupling and indicate which end effector in the first decoupled.

A system for robotic manipulation of objects having various shapes and sizes. The system includes a robot having an end effector, and an independent tag. The independent tag may have an object attachment interface to grasp an object, and an end effector attachment interface to mechanically interface with the end effector. Upon actuation of the robot, the end effector may move the object via the independent tag. A corresponding method is also disclosed and claimed herein.

A robotic system including a storage structure provided with vertical members supporting a grid collectively defining grid spaces and a plurality of storage containers arranged in vertical stacks for storing inventory items, each one of the vertical stacks configured to be arranged within a respective one of the grid spaces. One or more load handling robots are installed upon the grid and include a lifting device extendable in a vertical direction to extract one or more storage containers from the vertical stacks and transport the extracted storage container to a station. The robotic system further includes one or more manipulator robots installed at the station and within a single grid space. The one or more manipulator robots include a picking arm provided with a pneumatic gripping tool arranged to pick an inventory item from the transported storage container and place the picked item into an order container.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved methods and apparatus for coupling a probe to an instrument device manipulator (e.g., robotic arm). In some embodiments, a probe, which may be carried by a handpiece, is configured to couple to the end of a device manipulator of a robotic arm. A transmission can be provided that is configured to couple to the probe and also couple to the instrument device manipulator. The transmission can be configured to receive motion input from the instrument device manipulator and transfer the motion input into motion of the probe. The transmission can provide improved movement of the probe. By decreasing the number of components on the handpiece and probe, the handpiece and probe can be provided as a sterile, single use consumable device and the transmission can be reused.

A method is disclosed of changing a tool on a programmable motion device. The method includes the steps of moving an attachment portion of an end effector of the programmable motion device in a continuous motion; while the attachment portion of the end effector moves in the continuous motion, engaging one of: the attachment portion of the end effector with the tool, or the tool attached to the attachment portion of the end effector with an exchange system, and continuing to move the attachment portion of the end effector in the continuous motion to change a connection status of the attachment portion of the end effector while the attachment portion of the end effector moves in the continuous motion.

A hand connection position variable device capable of easily avoiding interference between a robot and a surrounding object, etc., and a robot provided with the device. The hand connection position variable device includes an adapter attached to a wrist, a hand configured to hold a tool that allows the robot to perform a predetermined task, a positioning mechanism configured to be capable of positioning, relative to the adapter, the hand in any of a plurality of positions including a first position and a second position that has at least one of a position and an orientation of the tool relative to the adapter being different from that of the first position, and an attaching/detaching mechanism configured to detachably hold the hand relative to the adapter.

The present disclosure generally relates to pick and place robotic systems. An exemplary system for coupling a detachable tool to a motion device comprises: a first magnetic ring affixed to a distal end of the motion device, wherein the motion device and the first magnetic ring form a first hollow chamber; a second magnetic ring affixed to a proximal end of the detachable tool, wherein the second magnetic ring and the detachable tool forms a second hollow chamber extending from a center of the second magnetic ring and the detachable tool, wherein the first magnetic ring and the second magnetic ring are configured to automatically couple together via a magnetic field in an aligned manner, and wherein the coupling of the first magnetic ring and the second magnetic ring joins the first hollow chamber and the second hollow chamber to allow for a pass-through mechanism.