The various robotic medical devices include robotic devices that are disposed within a body cavity and positioned using a support component disposed through an orifice or opening in the body cavity. Additional embodiments relate to devices having arms coupled to a device body wherein the device has a minimal profile such that the device can be easily inserted through smaller incisions in comparison to other devices without such a small profile. Further embodiments relate to methods of operating the above devices.

The various robotic medical devices include robotic devices that are disposed within a body cavity and positioned using a support component disposed through an orifice or opening in the body cavity. Additional embodiments relate to devices having arms coupled to a device body wherein the device has a minimal profile such that the device can be easily inserted through smaller incisions in comparison to other devices without such a small profile. Further embodiments relate to methods of operating the above devices.

A sealed actuator including stacked motor modules. Each motor module has a motor module housing, a motor stator attached to a respective motor module housing, a motor rotor in communication with a respective motor stator, and a stator seal disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor, surrounding the motor rotor and having a sealing surface interface, that interfaces with a respective sealing housing surface of the motor module housing, facing the motor rotor to seal the motor stator from the motor rotor. The motor module housings are stacked against each other and the sealing housing surface interfaced, at the sealing surface interface facing the rotors, to the respective stacked stator seals of the motor module housings forms a substantially continuous seal interface of the stacked motor modules sealed by the stacked stator seals to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotors and the motor stators.

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.

An example actuator is provided to be used in robots and robotic devices. The actuator includes: a first plate, a second plate, and an elastic element disposed between the first plate and the second plate and including a center portion and an edge portion, the center portion corresponding to a first thickness and the edge portion corresponding to a second thickness larger than the first thickness, a first shear stress associated with the center portion being approximately equal to a second shear stress associated with the edge portion.

A robot includes a base, a multi-joint arm provided in the base, and a wrist member configuring a part of the multi-joint arm. The wrist member includes: a motor including a rotor, a rotor shaft, and a stator; and a housing including a motor housing recess, in which the motor is positioned and housed, and forming an external shape of the wrist member. The housing has a motor incorporating recess including a positioning section for the stator, a hole section for fixing the stator incorporated in the motor incorporating recess, and a heat radiation groove section on a sidewall of the motor incorporating recess. A heat radiation member is filled in the heat radiation groove section.

A robot assembly for transporting a substrate is presented. The robot assembly having a first arm and a second arm supported by a column, the first arm further having a first limb, the first limb having a first set of revolute joint/line pairs configured to provide translation and rotation of the distal most link of the first limb in the horizontal plane. The assembly further having a second arm further having a second limb, the second limb comprising a second set of revolute joint/link pairs configured to provide translation and rotation of a distalmost link of the second limb in the horizontal plane. The first limb and second limb further having proximal revolute joints having a common vertical axis of rotation and a proximal inner joint housed in a common housing. The assembly further having an actuator assembly coupled to the first set of revolute joint/link pairs and to the second set of revolute joint/link pairs to effect rotation and translation of the distalmost links of the first limb and the second limb, each of the first limb and the second limb defining, in conjunction with the actuator assembly, at least three degrees of freedom per limb, whereby the distalmost links of the first limb and the second limb are independently horizontally translatable for extension and retraction.

A robot includes a first arm and a second arm. The first arm and the second arm have different mechanisms from each other.

Embodiments provided herein generally relate to robotic limbs and uses thereof. In some embodiments, the motor for driving movement of the limb can itself be repositioned, thereby altering the forces and/or torque involved in moving and/or operating the limb.

Motor modules for multi-arm robot apparatus are described. The motor modules can be used individually or stacked and assembled to make up one-axis, 2-axis, 3-axis, 4-axis, 5-axis, 6-axis motor assemblies, or more. One or more of the motor modules have a stator assembly including a stator received in the stator housing, and a rotor assembly abutting the stator assembly, the rotor assembly including a rotor housing, a drive shaft, a bearing assembly supporting the drive shaft, and a rotor coupled to the drive shaft. A vacuum barrier member is positioned between the rotor and the stator. Multi-axis motor drive assemblies, multi-axis robot apparatus, electronic device manufacturing systems, and methods of assembling drive assemblies are described, as are numerous other aspects.