An apparatus for manipulating articles in which a multiaxial industrial robot is arranged on a travel unit and the industrial robot and the travel unit can be supplied with electrical energy via an energy storage unit. The travel unit has a control unit and at least three wheels having at least one drive unit, with the control unit being configured to rotate at least one of the wheels by the drive unit about an axis of rotation standing perpendicular on a symmetrical axis of rotation of the wheel and to rotate it about the symmetrical axis of rotation by the respective drive unit so that the apparatus can be moved in any direction by the travel unit. In addition, area monitoring sensors are arranged on at least two sides of the travel unit to monitor a virtual surface located at a predefined spacing next to and not intersecting the travel unit.

A robot includes a movable section, a first member disposed in the movable section, a second member configured to form a space between the second member and the first member, a third member located between the first member and the second member and configured to restrain displacement of the second member in a direction separating from the first member, and a pressure detecting section configured to detect pressure in the space.

The invention relates to a device and to a method for open-loop/closed-loop control of a robot manipulator (202), which comprises a sensor (203) for detecting an interaction with an environment. The proposed method is characterized in that a force-time curve of an external force (I) acting on the robot manipulator (202) is detected by the sensor (203), and, if the value of the detected force (II) is higher than a defined threshold value G1: (II)>G1, a safety mode of the robot manipulator (202) is activated, which open-loop controls a movement speed (III) and/or a movement direction (IV) depending on the detected force (I), wherein the movement speed (III) and/or the movement direction (IV) of the robot manipulator (202) is/are open-loop/closed-loop controlled depending on predetermined medical injury parameters before the safety mode is activated.

A human-robot collaboration (HRC) workstation includes a robot having a robot controller and a robot arm comprising a plurality of joints and links connecting the joints. The joints are automatically adjusted by the controller to move or hold in space a tool or workpiece held by the robot arm by adjusting the joints. The (HRC) workstation further comprises a mounting device having a stationary base frame and a fixing device configured to hold in place a workpiece or a tool such that the workpiece and/or tool held on the mounting device may be assembled and/or machined in interaction with the robot arm. The mounting device includes a mechanical adjusting device and a triggering device controlled by the robot controller and the adjusting device is configured to automatically adjust the fixing device relative to the base frame from an operating position to a safety position when the triggering device is activated.

A system for robot and human collaboration. The system comprises: a multi-axis robot; one or more torque sensors, each torque sensor being configured to measure a torque about a respective axis of the multi-axis robot; and a controller configured to: receive one or more torque measurements taken by the one or more torque sensors; compare the one or more torque measurements or a function of the one or more torque measurements to a threshold value; and control the multi-axis robot based on the comparison.

A device for ensuring safe operation of a robot used for cosmetics applications, including the retrofitting of robots not originally design for such applications. The robot is used for the automatic placement of eyelash extensions onto the natural eyelashes of a subject. In some embodiments, a safety barrier is provided by a physical barrier or light curtain. In the invention, the robot uses an end effector which is configured to extend through the safety barrier and includes a release mechanism configured to readily release from the robot upon contacting the human subject, thereby preventing injury.

A robot includes a robot arm having a plurality of motor-driven joints and a plurality of links, each of which interconnect two adjacent joints. At least one of the links has a supporting structural component configured to transmit forces and/or torques from an adjacent joint to the other adjacent joint. The structural component is provided with at least one covering that at least partially covers the structural component and at least one contact sensor. The at least one contact sensor is configured as a switching strip arranged between the structural component and the covering. Movable mounting of the covering on the structural component, which mounting is spring-preloaded into the basic position of the covering, is adjusted by an inherent elasticity of the switching strip.

In an apparatus for detecting a collision of a handling device with an obstacle, comprising at least one gas-filled chamber, which is surrounded by a flexible sheath that is deformable by collision with an obstacle and has a flexible supporting structure, wherein the supporting structure forms a damping element, which, together with the sheath, mechanically damps the forces that act in the event a collision, and also comprising a pressure sensor for measuring the gas pressure inside the chamber, wherein the apparatus is able to be attached to the handling device in a manner covering at least a first and a second region of the handling device, the sheath and the supporting structure are formed in one piece with one another and provide different degrees of damping from one another in the first and the second region.

A robotic transport system including a drive section connected to a frame, an articulated arm operably coupled to the drive section providing the articulated arm with arm motion in at least one axis of motion moving at least a portion of the articulated arm in a collaborative space, corresponding to the frame, from a first location to another different location in the collaborative space, the articulated arm having an end effector with a workpiece grip having workpiece engagement members engaging and holding a workpiece during workpiece transport, by the arm motion in the at least one axis of motion, wherein at least one of the workpiece engagement members is frangible compliant, having a frangible compliant coupling between a distal portion of the at least one of the workpiece engagement members and a base portion of the end effector from which the at least one of the workpiece engagement members depends.

A robotic joint system with integrated safety can include a first support member, a second support member, and a tunable actuator joint assembly including a joint having an axis of rotation about which the first support member and the second support member rotate. The tunable actuator joint assembly can include a primary actuator and a quasi-passive linear pneumatic actuator coupled between the first and second support members. The quasi-passive linear pneumatic actuator can comprise an active state in which the quasi-passive linear pneumatic actuator stores energy upon a first rotation of the first and second support members and releases energy upon a second rotation of the first and second support members opposite the first rotation, and an inactive state that facilitates return of the first and second support members to a default position.