In an optical components automatic alignment robot, a motorized target moves closer or further from a digital camera being tested or assembled. A light sensor is used to automatically calibrate an ultraviolet (UV) or other light source used for curing adhesive. An automatic surface finder is used to accurately and repeatably find a surface on which adhesive is to be dispensed.

An alternative to additive manufacturing is disclosed, introducing an end-to-end workflow in which discrete building blocks are reversibly joined to produce assemblies called digital materials. Described is the design of the bulk-material building blocks and the devices that are assembled from them. Detailed is the design and implementation of an automated assembler, which takes advantage of the digital material structure to avoid positioning errors within a large tolerance. To generate assembly sequences, a novel CAD/CAM workflow is described for designing, simulating, and assembling digital materials. The structures assembled using this process have been evaluated, showing that the joints perform well under varying conditions and that the assembled structures are functionally precise.

Systems and methods for AI assisted reconfigurable, fixtureless manufacturing is disclosed. The invention eliminates geometry-setting tools (hard points, pins and nets—traditionally known as 3-2-1 fixturing schemes) and to replace the physical geometry setting with virtual datums driven by learning AI algorithms. A first type of part and a second type of part may be located by a machine vision system and moved by material handling devices and robots to locations within an assembly area. The parts may be aligned with one another and the alignment may be checked by the machine vision system which is configured to locate datums, in the form of features, of the parts and compare such datums to stored virtual datums. The parts may be joined while being held by the material handling devices or robots to form a subassembly in a fixtureless fashion. The material handling devices are able to grasp a number of different types of parts so that a number of different types of subassemblies are capable of being assembled. The system enables one skilled in the art to develop a product design with self-locating parts that will eliminate and minimize the need for geometry setting dedicated line tools and fixtures. This leads to the development of a manufacturing process that utilizes the industry 4.0 technologies to once again eliminate or significantly reduces the need for geometry setting line tools.

The vehicle body assembly station comprises main transport assembly for conveying a vehicle body along a first direction D1 in which at least one assembly robot is provided to move along a second direction D2, and temporary transport assembly whose operation is more accurate than that of the main transport assembly for moving the vehicle body independently from the main transport assembly while the assembly robot is performing operations on the vehicle body, whereby a new coordinate reference system is created by the temporary transport assembly.

The present concepts relate to devices that can approximate virtual objects when touched by a user. One example device can include a location assembly configured to sense a location of the device on a surface and configured to move the robotic device on the surface and a shape assembly secured to the location assembly and configured to adjust a height and a pitch of an upper surface of the robotic device.

Provided is an apparatus for piston insertion, including an insertion robot having a plurality of robot arms connected by a plurality of articulated joints, a piston insertion module directly mounted on the insertion robot, gripping a piston assembly, and inserting the piston assembly into a cylinder bore of a cylinder block, and a controller controlling an operation of the insertion robot and an operation of the piston insertion module.

Systems and methods for assembling structural components are disclosed. The systems and methods consider a sequence, operations of the sequence, and an approach vector in placing structural members (including structural members with pre-attached fasteners) for assembling structural components.

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated fashion. For example, information describing a shoe part may be determined, such as an identification, an orientation, a color, a surface topography, an alignment, a size, etc. Based on the information describing the shoe part, automated shoe-manufacturing apparatuses may be instructed to apply various shoe-manufacturing processes to the shoe part, such as a pickup and placement of the shoe part with a pickup tool.

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated fashion. For example, information describing a shoe part may be determined, such as an identification, an orientation, a color, a surface topography, an alignment, a size, etc. Based on the information describing the shoe part, automated shoe-manufacturing apparatuses may be instructed to apply various shoe-manufacturing processes to the shoe part, such as a pickup and placement of the shoe part with a pickup tool.

An attachment device attaches a plurality of attachment target members to an attachment portion formed in a circumferential direction of a rotating main body portion. A first measurement unit measures a physical amount concerning a perimeter of the attachment portion. An attachment unit attaches, to the attachment portion, the plurality of attachment target members selected based on the physical amount concerning the perimeter measured by the first measurement unit. A second measurement unit measures a physical amount concerning a gap between the adjacent attachment target members to be attached by the attachment unit.