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 method and system for hand tracking in a robotic system includes a hand tracking system and a controller coupled to the hand tracking system. The controller is configured to receive, from the hand tracking system, a plurality of locations of a hand; determine if the hand is in a first hand pose based on the plurality of locations; in response to determining that the hand is in the first hand pose, and switch the robotic system to a hand trajectory detection mode. While in the hand trajectory detection mode, the control unit is configured to detect, based on hand tracking information from the hand tracking system, that the hand has performed a first hand trajectory of a plurality of known hand trajectories; and in response to detecting the first hand trajectory, change a mode of operation of the robotic system.

A method for determining a shape of a lumen in an anatomical structure comprises reading information from a plurality of strain sensors disposed substantially along a length of a flexible medical device when the flexible medical device is positioned in the lumen. When the flexible medical device is positioned in the lumen, the flexible medical device conforms to the shape of the lumen. The method further comprises computationally determining, by a processing system, the shape of the lumen based on the information from the plurality of strain sensors.

Aspects of the disclosure include a torque sensor arrangement configured to attach between a first part and a second part to sense torque therebetween, the torque sensor arrangement comprising an interface member having on its exterior an engagement configuration configured to rotationally engage the first part, a torsion member comprising a deflectable body attached at one end thereof to the interface member and comprising, at the other end of the deflectable body, an engagement configuration configured to fixedly engage the second part, and a deflection sensor attached to the deflectable body, wherein the interface member defines a rigid sleeve extending around the deflectable body and the torque sensor arrangement further comprises a bushing located between and in contact with both the sleeve and the deflectable body.

Generally, a sterile adapter for use in robotic surgery may include a frame configured to be interposed between a tool driver and a surgical tool, a plate assembly coupled to the frame, and at least one rotatable coupler supported by the plate assembly and configured to communicate torque from an output drive of the tool driver to an input drive of the surgical tool.

Systems and methods for detecting pose and force against an object are provided. A method includes receiving a signal from a deformable sensor comprising data from a deformation region in a deformable membrane resulting from contact with the object utilizing an internal sensor disposed within an enclosure and having a field of view directed through a medium and toward a bottom surface of the deformable membrane. The method also determines a pose of the object based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane. The method also determines an amount of force applied between the deformable membrane and the object is determined based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane.

Systems and methods for moving or manipulating robotic arms are provided. A group of robotic arms are configured to form a virtual rail or line between the end effectors of the robotic arms. The robotic arms are responsive to outside force such as from a user. When a user moves a single one of the robotic arms, the other robotic arms will automatically move to maintain the virtual rail alignments. The virtual rail of the robotic arm end effectors may be translated in one or more of three dimensions. The virtual rail may be rotated about a point on the virtual rail line. The robotic arms can detect the nature of the contact from the user and move accordingly. Holding, shaking, tapping, pushing, pulling, and rotating different parts of the robotic arm elicits different movement responses from different parts of the robotic arm.

A method for deburring an aeronautical part with an articulated tooling including a plurality of axes of rotation, the aeronautical part including at least one edge to be deburred, the articulated tooling including a tool holder, holding a calibration tool and a machining tool, the calibration tool and the machining tool being fixed to the tool holder and being immovable relative to one another, the method including steps of calibrating the calibration tool and the machining tool, of parameterizing the aeronautical part, of deburring the at least one edge to be deburred with the machining tool moving along a predetermined trajectory, on the basis of the parameters obtained during the parameterization step.

A method for characterising the environment of a robot, the robot having a flexible arm having a plurality of joints, a datum carried by the arm, a plurality of drivers arranged to drive the joints to move and a plurality of position sensors for sensing the position of each of the joints, the method comprising: contacting the datum carried by the arm with a first datum on a second robot in the environment of the first robot, wherein the second robot has a flexible arm having a plurality of joints, and a plurality of drivers arranged to drive those joints to move; calculating in dependence on the outputs of the position sensors a distance between a reference location defined in a frame of reference local to the robot and the first datum; and controlling the drivers to reconfigure the first arm in dependence on at least the calculated distance.

A mobile robot includes a body movable over a surface within an environment, a calibration coil carried on the body and configured to produce a calibration magnetic field, a sensor circuit carried on the body and responsive to the calibration magnetic field, and a controller carried on the body and in communication with the sensor circuit. The sensor circuit is configured to generate calibration signals based on the calibration magnetic field. The controller is configured to calibrate the sensor circuit as a function of the calibration signals, thereby resulting in a calibrated sensor circuit configured to detect a transmitter magnetic field within the environment and to generate detection signals based on the transmitter magnetic field. The controller is configured to estimate a pose of the mobile robot as a function of the detection signals.