Abstract:
A robot hand apparatus includes a first holder having a bendable first sucking surface that sucks an object using negative pressure; and a second holder having a bendable second sucking surface that sucks the object using negative pressure. The first holder and the second holder are arranged such that the first sucking surface opposes the second sucking surface. When the first holder and the second holder hold the object, in a state in which the first sucking surface is bent at a first position and the second sucking surface is bent at a second position, the object is sucked to a region of the first sucking surface between the first position and a distal end of the first holder, and the object is sucked to a region of the second sucking surface between the second position and a distal end of the second holder.
Abstract:
An actuator body includes a tube that has a space therein and is wound spirally about a first axis. The tube has a plurality of first portions and a plurality of second portions, the tube has one or more grooves in at least one of an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface thereof, and the one or more grooves are provided spirally about a longitudinal axis of the tube, the space is in contact with the inner circumferential surface, and the outer circumferential surface is a surface opposite to the inner circumferential surface, each of the plurality of first portions has higher torsional rigidity than each of the plurality of second portions, the plurality of first portions are aligned along the first axis, and the plurality of first portions do not overlap the plurality of second portions.
Abstract:
An assist wear item is worn on a portion of a living body and has an inner surface brought into contact with the portion. The assist wear item includes assisting actuators, contact sensors, and a controller. Each assisting actuator is driven to expand and contract. The assisting actuators are linearly arranged along an expansion/contraction direction of a muscle at the portion. Each contact sensor detects a contact with an outer surface of the assist wear item. If the controller receives a detection result indicating a first contact from a first contact sensor among the contact sensors and receives a detection result indicating a second contact from a second contact sensor within a first time period after reception of the detection result indicating the first contact, the controller increases or decreases a driving power of expansion/contraction driving of an assisting actuator corresponding to the second contact sensor.
Abstract:
An electric wheelchair includes a main frame; a driving wheel supported by the main frame; an electric motor disposed on the main frame to drive the driving wheel; a clutch that switches a power transmission path from the electric motor to the driving wheel between an engagement state and a disengagement state; and a clutch operation handle configured to be moved in a predetermined range in an up-down direction. The clutch operation handle is configured so that when the clutch operation handle is stopped at a lowest position of the predetermined range, the clutch is operated so as to be in one of the engagement state and the disengagement state, and when the clutch operation handle is stopped at a highest position of the predetermined range, the clutch is operated so as to be in the other state.
Abstract:
A robot hand apparatus includes a first holder having a first sucking surface that is bendable at any position and that sucks an object using negative pressure; a second holder arranged to oppose the first sucking surface of the first holder; and a driving mechanism that changes a distance between the first holder and the second holder to sandwich the object between the first holder and the second holder.
Abstract:
An assist garment worn on a part of a human body includes a plurality of garment-fitting actuators that are placed linearly along at least one end portion of a garment body and driven to extend and contract, a plurality of assisting actuators that are placed linearly on the garment body to cross the fitting actuators and driven to extend and contract, and a controller that individually controls the drive of the assisting actuators and the drive of the fitting actuators.
Abstract:
A moving body that follows a preceding moving body includes a position calculator that identifies a position of the preceding moving body based on an output value from a sensor that acquires information around the moving body, a receiver that receives displacement information indicating a displacement amount of a position of the preceding moving body due to movement of the preceding moving body, and an operation controller that performs control to move the moving body based on an identified position of the preceding moving body and the displacement information in a state of losing sight in which the position calculator cannot identify a position of the preceding moving body.
Abstract:
A mobile robot that autonomously travels includes a body that has a front surface, a driver that is disposed in the body and that drives travelling of the body, a base that includes a spring and that is connected to the body via the spring, and a distance measurer that is disposed at an upper part of the base. The base is connected to the body in such a way that the base is movable to be in a first state in which the laser range finder is located inside the body and a second state in which the laser range finder is located outside the body. The spring generates a force that pushes the base from a front surface of the body to an outside of the body.
Abstract:
A robot hand apparatus includes a holder having a bendable sucking surface that sucks an object; a magnetic elastic body arranged at the holder and formed of an elastic material containing magnetic particles; and a magnetic-field generator that is arranged at the holder and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic elastic body to change a coefficient of elasticity of the magnetic elastic body. When the magnetic-field generator applies a magnetic field to the magnetic elastic body, a flexible portion and a hardened portion having a bigger coefficient of elasticity than that of the flexible portion are formed in the magnetic elastic body. When the holder holds the object, in a state in which the sucking surface is bent at a position corresponding to the flexible portion, a region of the sucking surface between the position and a distal end of the holder sucks the object.
Abstract:
An actuator includes a displaceable portion, first to fourth artificial muscles, a pressure adjuster that changes a pressure of a fluid filled in the first and second artificial muscles, an open-close valve that allows a fluid to flow into or out of the third and fourth artificial muscles, and a controller that drives the pressure adjuster and controls the open-close valve. Each of the first to fourth artificial muscles includes a coiled elastic tube. In an outer circumferential surface of the tube, grooves are helically formed about an axis of the tube. The tube is filled with a fluid. In the first artificial muscle, a direction in which the tube is coiled is opposite to a direction in which the grooves extend helically. In each of the second to fourth artificial muscles, a direction in which the tube is coiled is the same as a direction in which the grooves extend helically.