A robot arm comprising a plurality of limbs articulated relative to each other, the robot arm extending from a base to a distal limb carrying a tool or an attachment point for a tool, the distal limb being attached by a revolute joint to a second limb, and the robot arm comprising a motor having a body and a drive shaft configured to drive rotation of the distal limb relative to the second limb about the revolute joint, wherein the body of the motor is fast with the distal limb.

A first hollow part having a center axis coincident with a first axis of a wrist structure is formed in a forearm. A through passage, which communicates with the first hollow part is formed in a first wrist element. A second hollow part having a center axis coincident with a third axis is formed in a third wrist element. An umbilical member is inserted through the first hollow part, the through passage, and the second hollow part. A brake device is eliminated from at least one of a motor for a second wrist and a motor for a third wrist.

A robotic arm for flexible operation in three dimensional space is provided. The robotic arm is divided into several arm parts with multiple joints to move the robot arm in three-dimensional space. The length and angle of the different arm parts are adjustable. The functioning of arm parts is controlled by one or more motors. The motors are configured to control a change in length and angle of the arm parts. Based on usage, a motor is used to change the length and two, four, or six motors or even more motors are used to change the angle and adjust an access to the target. The robot is assembled by varying the number of attachable arm parts depending on the direction of movement and the degree or direction of rotation.

An accessibility-enhancing joint module may include a housing, a powered motor disposed within the housing, a rotatable receiving member operatively connected to the powered motor, a coupling element configured to attach to the receiving member, and a control board disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the powered motor, wherein the coupling element is disposed external to the housing. An accessibility-enhancing arm assembly may include a first joint module and a second joint module and a tubular arm member attached to the proximal mounting portion of the first joint module and the proximal mounting portion of the second joint module, each joint module including a housing having a body portion and a proximal mounting portion, a powered motor disposed within the housing, and a rotatable receiving member operatively connected to the powered motor. The joint module(s) and/or the arm assembly may be operable by a variety of accessible controls.

A multi-joint arm mechanism includes an arm supporting member a first, second and third joints. The third joint has a linear extension and retraction axis. The third joint includes flat-shaped first structures bendably coupled to one another, second structures having a C-shaped section and bendably coupled to one another, a supporting member supporting the stiffened first and second structures, and a drive member sending and drawing the stiffened first and second structures. The first and the second structures are linearly stiffened by being in contact with each other and return to a bent state by being separated from each other. The second structures are bent toward the bottom parts and conveyed into the arm supporting member. The first structures are bent in a same direction as the second structures and conveyed into the arm supporting member. The first structures are stored in the arm supporting member along the second structures.

A motor-driven articulated haptic interface arm includes: a frame; an arm linked to the frame and rotationally mobile about an axis; and a motor, which delivers at least one torque about the axis countering at least one part of forces applied to the arm by its environment. A main transmission transmits the torque to the arm and includes a capstan-type cable reducer, and an auxiliary transmission transmits the torque to the arm. The auxiliary transmission is capable of taking at least two states: an inactive state, when the forces applied to the arm by its environment are below a predetermined threshold, in which the auxiliary transmission transmits no torque to the arm; and an active state when the forces applied to the arm by its environment are higher than a predetermined threshold, in which the main transmission transmits no torque to the arm.

A robot includes a base, a first arm that is provided to be rotatable with respect to the base, and a gear device that transmits a driving force from the base to the first arm. The gear device has a flexible gear. The flexible gear has a cylindrical body portion and a bottom portion that is connected to one end portion of the body portion. The bottom portion has a metal flow radially extending from a center side to an outer peripheral side of the bottom portion.

The present invention is to provide an industrial robot, which is placed in vacuum for use, capable of efficiently cooling down hand- or arm-driving motors which are arranged inside the arm in air. The industrial robot is provided with a motor for rotating a second arm unit with respect to a first arm unit, a motor for rotating a hand with respect to the second arm unit, a reduction gear for reducing the rotation of the motor and transmitting it to the second arm unit, and a reduction gear for reducing the rotation of the motor and transmitting it to the hand; the hand and the arm are placed in vacuum. The reduction gears and are coaxially arranged so that the center of rotation of the second arm unit with respect to the first arm unit coincides with the axial centers of the reduction gears. The interior space of the hollow first arm unit is kept at atmospheric pressure in which the motors and the reduction gears are arranged.

A robot includes: a base; an arm which is provided to be rotatable with respect to the base using a predetermined rotation shaft as the center of rotation; and an elongated object including a portion present in the base and in the arm, in which the elongated object is bound in a first binding position which is on the rotation shaft and in the base and a second binding position which is on the rotation shaft and in the arm.

A device is provided. The device includes a worm drive comprising a worm and a worm gear. The device also includes an actuator comprising a motor, a shaft, and the worm, wherein the shaft is configured to rotate about a shaft axis, and the actuator is configured to (i) drive the worm drive, and (ii) move linearly along the shaft axis. The device also includes a first spring and a second spring, wherein the second ends are fixed, and wherein the first and second springs are configured to resist movement of the actuator along the shaft axis in opposite directions as a result of forces transmitted through the worm drive. The device further includes a linear position encoder configured to determine a position of the actuator along the shaft axis.