A boot seal is detachably attached to a joint including: a drive link and link members; and a ball joint for linking them to be relatively rotatable or swivelable. The ball joint includes a ball shank having a shaft section fixed to the drive link and a ball section provided on one end of the shaft section and a holder that is fixed to an end section of each of the link members and that has a ball-receiving section for supporting the ball section in a state where the ball section is surrounded. A cover main body that covers the gap between the ball shank and the holder and that is formed of a flexible material includes through-holes through which the shaft section is made to pass, a slit that continuously extends between the through-holes, and a fastener opening and hermetically closing the slit along the entire length thereof.

A nanoscale positioning apparatus with a large stroke and multiple degrees of freedom and a control method thereof are provided. The nanoscale positioning apparatus includes a base, a plurality of parallel branch chain mechanisms and a working table. Each of the parallel branch chain mechanisms includes an electric cylinder, a micro-motion drive mechanism, a laser interferometer, a grating measuring device, a self-locking upper hinge and a self-locking lower hinge. The top of the base is connected to one end of the electric cylinder through the self-locking lower hinge. The other end of the electric cylinder is connected to one end of the micro-motion drive mechanism. The other end of the micro-motion drive mechanism is connected to the bottom of the working table through the self-locking upper hinge. The positioning apparatus has multiple degrees of freedom, and realizes multi-degree-of-freedom arbitrary position adjustment of the working table through parallel branch chain mechanisms.

Robots for moving relative to a surface, robotic systems including the same, and associated methods are disclosed. A robot includes a body, at least two legs, and at least two feet. Each leg has a proximal end region operatively coupled to the body at a respective body joint with one rotational degree of freedom and a distal end region operatively coupled to a respective foot at a respective foot joint comprising two rotational degrees of freedom. Each foot is configured to be translated relative to the surface with two degrees of translational freedom. Robotic systems include one or more robots and a surface along which the one or more robots are positioned to move. Methods of operating robots and of operating robotic systems include translating at least one foot of a robot to operatively move the body of the robot with six degrees of freedom.

Robots for moving relative to a surface, robotic systems including the same, and associated methods are disclosed. A robot includes a body, at least two legs, and at least two feet. Each leg has a proximal end region operatively coupled to the body at a respective body joint with one rotational degree of freedom and a distal end region operatively coupled to a respective foot at a respective foot joint comprising two rotational degrees of freedom. Each foot is configured to be translated relative to the surface with two degrees of translational freedom. Robotic systems include one or more robots and a surface along which the one or more robots are positioned to move. Methods of operating robots and of operating robotic systems include translating at least one foot of a robot to operatively move the body of the robot with six degrees of freedom.

A redundant parallel mechanism with less actuation and multi-degree-of-freedom outputs and a control method thereof are provided, which relate to the field of robot mechanisms. The redundant parallel mechanism includes: a fixed platform, a moving platform, multiple moving branch chains, and one or more redundant branch chains. Two ends of each moving branch chain are respectively connected to the fixed platform and the moving platform, and a brake is arranged on each moving branch chain. Two ends of each redundant branch chain are respectively connected to the fixed platform and the moving platform, and an actuating part is arranged on each redundant branch chain. There are n redundant branch chains arranged. During control, the number of follow-up moving branch chains is set to n, and the n moving branch chains move to expected positions and postures under the control of the n redundant branch chains.

A three-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, includes a fixed platform, a movable platform, and three kinematic chains, where at least one of the three kinematic chains is a flexible chain; and the flexible chain includes a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, and an axis-variable revolute pair, the axis-variable revolute pair includes a fixed member, a movable member, and a spherical pair, one end of the fixed member is fastened on the fixed platform, the other end of the fixed member fits and abuts against an inclined surface of the movable member, the spherical pair is accommodated in the fixed member, a spherical hinge connecting rod of the spherical pair penetrates the movable member, the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the spherical hinge connecting rod and the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is spherically hinged to the movable platform.

The present concepts relate to haptic controllers. In one example the haptic controller can include first and second capstans rotationally secured to a base and an energy storage mechanism connected between the first and second capstans. The example haptic controller can also include a user engagement assembly secured to the first capstan and a controller configured to control rotational forces imparted on the user engagement assembly by controlling rotational friction experienced by the first and second capstans.

The invention relates to a method for a usage-related calibration of parallel kinematics with a programmable actuation, said method having the steps of: releasably attaching a separate pose marking element in a uniquely defined position and angular orientation on the platform or on a base of the parallel kinematics so as to be secured against tilting using a kinematic coupling, detecting the pose of the pose marking element using a pose detection device, and determining a pose marking coordinate system in the coordinate system of the pose detection device, determining a calibrated reference coordinate system of the parallel kinematics from the pose marking coordinate system on the basis of a specified first coordinate transformation rule, and storing the calibrated reference coordinate system of the parallel kinematics in the actuator thereof or a measuring software, detecting the pose of the world coordinate system using a coordinate measuring device, determining the world coordinate system in the coordinate system of the pose detection device, storing the pose of the world coordinate system, and making available the two stored coordinate systems or the coordinate transformation between the two coordinate systems in order to adapt the hexapod movements with respect to the world coordinate system.

A 2 DOFs decoupling parallel mechanism provided by the present disclosure comprises a fixed platform, a rotation assembly, a moving platform, an arc kinematic chain, and an arc rod. In the 2 DOFs decoupling parallel mechanism, the rotation assembly can drive the moving platform to rotate by 360 degrees around a direction being perpendicular to the fixed platform, the arc rod reciprocates along the tangential direction of the arc kinematic chain to enable the moving platform to rotate around an axis of a plane where the arc kinematic chain is located. In this way, the rotations of the moving platform in two directions are respectively driven by driving units in two directions and being independent from each other, such that the two rotation actions of the mechanism have decoupling capability.

The present concepts relate to haptic controllers. In one example the haptic controller can include first and second capstans rotationally secured to a base and an energy storage mechanism connected between the first and second capstans. The example haptic controller can also include a user engagement assembly secured to the first capstan and a controller configured to control rotational forces imparted on the user engagement assembly by controlling rotational friction experienced by the first and second capstans.