An antagonistically actuated shape memory alloy (SMA) manipulator utilizes a pair of SMA actuators. The SMA actuators are configured, such that one actuator is trained to have a substantially linear or extended shape in its austenite phase, while the other actuator is trained to have a curved or flexed shape in its austenite phase. As such, the manipulator is operated, such that when one SMA actuator is heated and takes on its “trained” shape in the austenite phase, the other SMA actuator is permitted to cool and allowed to return to its original “untrained” shape in the martensite phase, and vice versa. This antagonistic operation of the SMA actuators allows the manipulator to achieve rapid flexion and extension movements.

An end effector is an end effector to be grasped by a robot including a hand having a plurality of first movable parts and a second movable part using the hand, including an operation unit operated by movements of the second movable part in first directions, and an actuation unit actuated by an operation of the operation unit, wherein concave portions into which the first movable parts are inserted are formed.

A method for driving a hand includes: detecting a relative position of a first finger part and a second finger part as of when the first finger part and the second finger part pinch a target object therebetween, as a reference relative position, by a position detection unit; moving the relative position of the first finger part and the second finger part to a target relative position where the first finger part and the second finger part are spaced further apart from each other than at the reference relative position by an amplitude of vibration or more, by a drive unit, on accepting an instruction to release the target object pinched by the first finger part and the second finger part; and causing at least one of the first finger part and the second finger part to vibrate by the drive unit, when the target relative position is achieved.

A method for driving a hand includes: detecting a relative position of a first finger part and a second finger part as of when the first finger part and the second finger part pinch a target object therebetween, as a reference relative position, by a position detection unit; moving the relative position of the first finger part and the second finger part to a target relative position where the first finger part and the second finger part are spaced further apart from each other than at the reference relative position by an amplitude of vibration or more, by a drive unit, on accepting an instruction to release the target object pinched by the first finger part and the second finger part; and causing at least one of the first finger part and the second finger part to vibrate by the drive unit, when the target relative position is achieved.

An object of the present invention is to grip a bag-shaped object in which a fluid is sealed with stability in a gripping system having a hand mechanism. A tip end portion of a press-in finger portion of the hand mechanism is brought into contact with the bag-shaped object and pressed into the bag-shaped object, and subsequently, when the pressure detected by a pressure detection unit provided on the single press-in finger portion or the pressure detected by any one of the pressure detection units provided respectively on the press-in finger portions reaches or exceeds a predetermined pressure, a gripping operation, which is an operation for gripping the bag-shaped object using at least two finger portions among the plurality of finger portions of the hand mechanism, is executed in a state where the press-in finger portion is pressed into the bag-shaped object.

An object of the present invention is to grip a bag-shaped object in which a fluid is sealed with stability in a gripping system having a hand mechanism. A tip end portion of a press-in finger portion of the hand mechanism is brought into contact with the bag-shaped object and pressed into the bag-shaped object, and subsequently, when the pressure detected by a pressure detection unit provided on the single press-in finger portion or the pressure detected by any one of the pressure detection units provided respectively on the press-in finger portions reaches or exceeds a predetermined pressure, a gripping operation, which is an operation for gripping the bag-shaped object using at least two finger portions among the plurality of finger portions of the hand mechanism, is executed in a state where the press-in finger portion is pressed into the bag-shaped object.

Force sensors capable of measuring only forces in xyz coordinate axis directions are installed in fingertips, respectively, and forces and moment forces acting on a robot hand are calculated based on positional information about each fingertip. This structure eliminates the need for using large force sensors to thereby enable downsizing of each fingertip, and enables detection of loads and moment forces acting on the robot hand.

A robot system includes a robot including a plurality of fingers for holding a target object and a control device configured to control a motion of the robot. The control device includes one or more processors. The processors acquire an image of a first target object and a second target object taken by an imaging device. The processors control the motion of the robot based on the image such that the robot moves the first target object with at least one finger included in the fingers in a direction in which a gap is formed between the first target object and the second target object, inserts at least one finger included in the fingers into the gap, and holds the first target object.

A robot hand according to the present invention controls finger units by a central processing unit (CPU) based on two or more types of gripping mode tables for different purposes when a gripping object is gripped by the finger units.

A method of controlling a holding apparatus configured to hold plural kinds of target objects by plural fingers in plural relative postures includes calculating, on a basis of information about holding force of the fingers in a relative posture for a target object, an amount of positional deviation of the target object held by the fingers, and correcting, on a basis of the amount of positional deviation calculated in the calculating, a position of the target object held by the fingers.