A method and apparatus for dispensing and retrieving products is provided. A system may include: a grasping head; first and second grasping members, each grasping member comprising: a top member; a post member; and first and second grasping fingers, where the first and second grasping fingers extend from the post member and are spaced apart from the top member by a predetermined distance, where the first and second grasping members are connected to the grasping head, where at least one of the first and second grasping members is movably connected to the grasping head, where the at least one of the first and second grasping members is movable relative to the other of the first and second grasping members.

A device for removing a wear member from a ground engaging surface, the device comprising: a body having cavity and a wear member engaging portion to engage the wear member when the wear member extends into the cavity; a gripper movable relative to the body, the gripper having a bracing member adapted to bear against a portion of the ground engaging surface to thereby provide a load path from the ground engaging surface to the wear member engaging portion; and a first actuator connected to the gripper and the body, to apply a force to the gripper, to urge the gripper to move relative to the body, such that, when the bracing member bears against the ground engaging surface, movement of the gripper relative to the body removes the wear member from the ground engaging surface.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for automated drill pipe handling operations, such as trip in, trip out, and stand building operations. A pipe handling system of the present disclosure may include a lifting system for handling a load of a pipe stand, a pipe handling robot configured for engaging with the pipe stand and manipulating a position of the pipe stand, and a feedback device configured to provide information about a condition of the pipe stand, the lifting system, or the pipe handling robot. In some embodiments, the pipe handling robot may be a first robot configured for engaging with and manipulating a first end of the pipe stand, and the system may include a second pipe handling robot configured for engaging with and manipulating a second end of the pipe stand.

A gripper mechanism includes a pair of gripper jaws, a linear actuator, and a rocker bogey. The linear actuator drives a first gripper jaw to move relative to a second gripper jaw. Here, the linear actuator includes a screw shaft and a drive nut where the drive nut includes a protrusion having protrusion axis expending along a length of the protrusion. The protrusion axis is perpendicular to an actuation axis of the linear actuator along a length of the screw shaft. The rocker bogey is coupled to the drive nut at the protrusion to form a pivot point for the rocker bogey and to enable the rocker bogey to pivot about the protrusion axis when the linear actuator drives the first gripper jaw to move relative to the second gripper jaw.

End effectors and methods for gripping a curvilinear sheet of material are disclosed herein. The curvilinear sheet of material defines a first sheet side having a curvilinear first side topography and a second sheet side having a curvilinear second side topography. The end effector includes a negative mating shaped first sheet-engaging surface configured to operatively support the first sheet side and having a curvilinear first sheet-engaging surface topography that corresponds to the curvilinear first side topography. The end effector also includes a second sheet-engaging surface configured to operatively support the second sheet side and having a curvilinear appropriately mating negative shaped second sheet-engaging surface topography that corresponds to the curvilinear second side topography. The end effector further includes an actuation mechanism configured to selectively transition the end effector between an open orientation and a gripping (converging) orientation. The methods include methods of utilizing the end effectors.

A robotic gripper configured to mount to a robotic arm is described herein. The robotic gripper includes a base configured to mount to the robotic arm and spin about an axis of the base. The robotic gripper also includes at least two gripping elements coupled to the base. Each gripping element extends from the base in a direction parallel to the axis of the base and is movable relative to the base between an open position and a closed position to grasp an object. A first gripping element of the at least two gripping elements defines a first element axis laterally spaced from the axis of the base by a first distance. At least one other gripping element defines another element axis that is laterally spaced from the axis of the base by a second distance that is smaller than the first distance.

A slide rack gripper apparatus is provided that simultaneously conveys a plurality of glass slides in the protection of a slide rack within a digital slide scanning apparatus. The slide rack gripper apparatus conveys the plurality of glass slides from a slide rack carousel to a scanning stage for processing. The slide rack gripper includes a first motor attached to a base configured to drive a finger mount attached to the base along a first linear axis. The slide rack gripper apparatus also includes a second motor attached to the finger mount and configured to drive opposing gripper fingers attached to the finger mount along a second linear axis. The second motor is also configured to drive individual gripper fingers along a third linear axis to move the gripper fingers toward each other and away from each other to grasp or release a slide rack.

A vegetable transplanting device includes a robotic arm, a positioning ring fixedly disposed on an outside of the robotic arm, and a transplant assembly connected to the robotic arm. The transplant assembly includes: a motor fixedly disposed at an end of the robotic arm; a fixing frame fixedly mounted on a side surface of the positioning ring away from the robotic arm; a worm screw fixedly disposed at an output end of the motor; first fixing rods fixedly disposed and passing through the fixing frame; worm gears, each rotatably installed on an outside of one of the first fixing rods, the worm gears being engaged with the worm screw by teeth; connecting rod assemblies, each rotatably installed on the outside of at least one of the first fixing rods; and clamping members, each rotatably connected to one end of the corresponding connecting rod assembly away from the fixing frame.

A gripping device for mechanical fasteners, such as rivets, screws, bolts, and similar fasteners, and a robot effector employing such a device. The device includes a housing and a pair of jaws arranged on a holder. The pair of jaws is adapted to grip a mechanical fastener therebetween. The holder is rotatable inside of the housing and the jaws allow a self-centering of a gripped mechanical fastener.

A system and method for gripping a cylindrical object. The system including: a housing; a plurality of gripping arms in the housing, the gripping arms in pairs each on an opposite side of a centerline plane from another; and a driving wedge in the housing and configured such that movement of the driving wedge moves each pair of gripping arms towards or away from each other while remaining equidistant from the centerline plane. The method including: opening the plurality of gripping arms against a bias by sliding a wedge in a first direction to slide the plurality of gripping arms apart while maintaining an equal predetermined distance from a part alignment position; placing a cylindrical body between the plurality of gripping arms; and closing the plurality of gripping arms by sliding the wedge in an opposite direction to allow the biasing force to close the gripping arms.