Aspects described herein include an end effector having an interface system that includes a body member attached to a mounting plate, and a plurality of strength-varying features at a plurality of regions of the interface system. The plurality of strength-varying features encourage the body member to repeatably deform into a deformed configuration. The end effector further comprises a vacuum port in fluid communication with an inner recess of the body member, and a plurality of actuators that apply a force to the mounting plate to pivot a portion of the mounting plate and deform the body member into the deformed configuration.

The present invention relates to a lifting device for lifting and vertically, and possibly horizontally, replacing an object. The lifting device comprises a first unit (1) configured with one or more catching parts such as suction pads and a second unit (2) configured to control vertical and optionally horizontal position of the object. The second unit (2) comprises a first attachment position and a second attachment position and the first attachment position is fixed to a vertically extending part (3) of the first unit (1); the second attachment position is fixed to a sliding member (10) of the first unit (1) by a rigid joint configured to transfer all movements induced at the second attachment position by the second unit (2) to a sliding member (10) of the first unit configured to slide between two positions along a longitudinal member (11) of the first unit.

The invention relates to a method for gripping an object by a handling system, including a robot with at least one robot arm, a gripping device which is connected to the robot arm and has a pneumatically operated suction gripper having an elastically deformable contact portion for contact with an outer surface of the object to be gripped, an identifier for identifying the outer surface of the object to be gripped and a controller which interacts with the identifier and is designed to control the robot.

An apparatus, system and method for providing a variable swath end effector. The variable swath end effector may include: two arms, each for retaining a portion of a retained element; two pairs of bearing rails, each pair being uniquely mechanically associated with a one of the two arms, wherein a level of one pair of bearing rails is staggered from a second level of the other pair of earing rails in a perpendicular axis, and wherein the staggered pairs of bearing rails are interleaved with each other; and a motor capable of driving a belt in mechanical association with each of the two arms, wherein actuation of the motor drives the belt to synchronously move each of the two arms across a respective one of the pairs of bearing rails to vary the swath between the two arms.

A flexible vacuum assembly fixture including a base; at least one arm coupled to the base; a suction cup fitting coupled to the at least one arm distal from the base; a vacuum generator fluidly coupled to the suction cup fitting via a vacuum tube; and a grounding feature configured to electrically ground the suction cup fitting, the at least one arm, and the base.

A virtual bumper configured to protect a component of a robotic device from damage is provided. The virtual bumper comprises a plurality of distance sensors arranged on the robotic device and at least one computing device configured to receive distance measurement signals from the plurality of distance sensors, detect, based on the received distance measurement signals, at least one object in a motion path of the component, and control the robot to change one or more operations of the robot to avoid a collision between the component and the at least one object.

A substrate holding device includes a base body that has a flat plate-like shape and that includes gas passages that open in an upper surface of the base body, and a plurality of protrusions that protrude from the upper surface of the base body. At least an upper part of each of the protrusions has a conical frustum shape having a base angle of 70° or more and 85° or less.

A bioinspired suction device includes a radially symmetrical suction chamber formed from a first elastomer and having a skirt portion with a skirt diameter and a disc margin formed from a flexible flattened ring adhered to a lower surface of the skirt portion. The disc margin is formed from a second elastomer and has a disc diameter that extends beyond the skirt diameter. The second elastomer is a compliant material having a lower hardness and lower tensile strength than the first elastomer. Radial pads may extend from the disc margin, where each pad has elastomeric texture features formed on a pad contact surface.

An object of an embodiment is to provide a robot hand with high versatility for various kinds of workpieces. A robot hand according to the embodiment has a pair of grasping sections that are disposed to face each other to grasp a workpiece. The pair of grasping sections are equipped with a pair of workpiece contact sections. The pair of grasping sections are moved in directions to move close to and separate from each other by a moving mechanism. The workpiece contact section is a vacuum suction section including flexibility. The vacuum suction section grasps a workpiece while vacuum-sucking the workpiece.

A vacuum cup assembly and a method of lifting an object are provided. The vacuum cup assembly includes a cup structure defining an opening at a proximal end, a recess at a distal end, and a cavity region between the proximal and distal ends, where the cavity region includes at least one cavity. The opening is in fluid communication with the recess and with the cavity region. Inner structures are disposed in the cavity region. The inner structures are configured to hold the cup structure in a gripping position when a negative pressure is applied to the cavity region through the opening in the cup structure. The cup structure is configured to be in a resting position without the negative pressure being applied to the cavity region. The vacuum cup assembly has a first shape in the resting position and a second shape in the gripping position.