According to one embodiment, a robot hand grips an object. The robot hand includes first and second communicators, and a hand controller. The first communicator communicates grip data with a first device. The grip data is related to a gripping operation. The second communicator communicates a start notification and an end notification with a second device. The second communicator can communicate faster than the first communicator. The start notification is for starting the gripping operation. The end notification indicates an end of the gripping operation. The hand controller controls the gripping operation. In response to the start notification input to the second communicator, the hand controller starts the gripping operation. In response to the end of the gripping operation, the hand controller performs outputting the end notification, and outputting at least one of a result of the gripping operation or a state of the robot hand.

A method of calibrating a virtual force sensor of a robot manipulator, wherein in a plurality of poses, the method comprises: applying an external wrench to the robot manipulator ascertaining an estimate of the external wrench, ascertaining a respective cost function based on a difference between the determined estimate of the external wrench and a specified external wrench, ascertaining a respective calibration function by minimizing the respective cost function, and storing the respective calibration function in a data set of all calibration functions with assignment of the respective calibration function to a respective pose for which the respective calibration function was ascertained.

A robotic kitting machine is disclosed. In various embodiments, a robotic arm is used to move an item to a location in proximity to a slot into which the item is to be inserted. Force information generated by a force sensor is received via a communication interface. The force sensor information is used to align a structure comprising the item with a corresponding cavity comprising the slot, and the item is inserted into the slot.

Provided is a program generation device capable of automatically generating a route program which takes into account the amount of bending when the tip of a robot abuts against a workpiece. This program generation device is provided with: an acquisition unit that acquires route data indicating a route to be followed by the tip of the robot with respect to an object; a detection unit that detects a pressing force for pressing the tip of the robot to the object; a calculation unit that calculates the amount of misalignment of the followed route caused by bending of the tip of the robot, on the basis of the pressing force detected by the detection unit and a prescribed constant; and a generation unit that automatically generates a route program for controlling a moving route of the tip of the robot, on the basis of the route data acquired by the acquisition unit and the amount of misalignment calculated by the calculation unit.

The invention relates to a robot controller controlling a robot arm, the robot controller is configured to maintain the robot arm in a static posture when only gravity is acting on the robot arm and allow change in posture of the robot arm when an external force different from gravity is applied to the robot arm. The free-drive mode of operation is activatable by a user establishing a free-drive activation signal to the robot controller, which then is configured to: —monitor a value of at least one joint sensor parameter; —compare the value of the joint sensor parameter to a maintain free-drive joint sensor parameter threshold value; —maintain the robot arm in said free-drive mode of operation for a predetermined maintain free-drive period of time, and —leave the free-drive mode of operation if the value of the joint sensor parameter docs not exceed the maintain free-drive joint sensor parameter threshold value within the maintain free-drive period of time.

In one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method that includes receiving a request to generate workcell data representing physical dimensions of a workcell having a physical robot arm, executing a calibration program that causes the physical robot arm to move within the workcell and record locations within the workcell at which the robot arm made contact with an object, generating, from the locations within the workcell at which one or more sensors of the robot arm recorded a resistance above a threshold, a representation of physical boundaries in the workcell, obtaining an initial virtual representation of the workcell, and updating the initial virtual representation of the workcell according to the representation of physical boundaries generated from executing the calibration program.

The invention relates to a robot controller controlling a robot arm, the robot controller is configured to maintain the robot arm in a static posture when only gravity is acting on the robot arm and allow change in posture of the robot arm 5 when an external force different from gravity is applied to the robot arm. The free-drive mode of operation is activatable by a user establishing a free-drive activation signal to the robot controller, which in free-drive mode of operation is configured within at a free-drive safety period to allow a part of said robot arm to be moved within a virtual three-dimensional geometric shape 10 surrounding the part of the robot arm.

The invention relates to a robot controller controlling a robot arm, the robot controller is configured to maintain the robot arm in a static posture when only gravity is acting on the robot arm and allow change in posture of the robot arm when an external force different from gravity is applied to the robot arm. The free-drive mode of operation is activatable by a user establishing a free-drive activation signal to the robot controller, which then is configured to initiate a free-drive mode activation sequence including the steps of: in a predetermined activation sequence period of time monitor a value of at least one joint sensor parameter, and compare this value to a free-drive activation joint sensor parameter threshold value. The robot controller is configured to switch to the free-drive mode of operation if the at least one value does not exceed the free-drive activation joint sensor parameter threshold value within the predetermined activation sequence period of time.

A massage motion control method, a robot controller using the same, and a storage medium are provided. The method includes: calculating a robot end desired speed and a robot end desired angular speed corresponding to a desired massage trajectory of a massage robot to compensate using two obtained robot end compensation amounts in the case that the desired massage trajectory for a target massage area at a current control cycle, a robot end speed compensation amount meeting a desired massage intensity requirement, and a robot end angular speed compensation amount adapted to an environmental curvature of the target massage area are obtained, and controlling the massage robot by determining a corresponding to-be-outputted joint angle based on motion parameter(s) obtained by the compensation. In this manner, the adaptive change of the massage position and the massage intensity for the massage area of the patient can be realized.

A surface finishing apparatus includes: an arm to which a tool is attached; a force sensor that detects force applied to the tool; a visual sensor acquiring an image of a plane surface; a storage device storing data indicating a target state of the plane surface; and a controller that performs removing position determination process for determining, by using at least unfinished-surface image data and the data indicating the target state, a plurality of removing positions on the plane surface of the member, and arm control process for controlling the arm to sequentially perform surface removal at the plurality of determined removing positions, wherein a surface inspection agent is applied to the plane surface whose image is to be acquired by the visual sensor, and thereby the surface inspection agent is distributed over the plane surface.