Abstract: A joint may have a multi-stage planetary gearbox between the stationary housing and the rotary housing. To accommodate different gear ratios, the rotary housing may be joined to the stationary housing by a releasable attachment. This allows portions of the planetary gearbox to be replaced so that, for instance, the last stage may be chosen as either a simple or compound differential planetary stage. To allow for different capacities, a quotient of a sum of all teeth of a sun gear of a stage and of the ring gear with which the planetary gears of the stage mesh to both the number three and the number four yields an integer. In this way, the stage may be provided with either three or four planetary gears. The gearbox may have a ring gear common to a plurality of simple planetary stages. Where the final stage is a simple planetary stage, the carrier may be provided with a flange extending around, and bearing mounted to, the common ring gear.

Abstract: A joint may have a multi-stage planetary gearbox between the stationary housing and the rotary housing. To accommodate different gear ratios, the rotary housing may be joined to the stationary housing by a releasable attachment. This allows portions of the planetary gearbox to be replaced so that, for instance, the last stage may be chosen as either a simple or compound differential planetary stage. To allow for different capacities, a quotient of a sum of all teeth of a sun gear of a stage and of the ring gear with which the planetary gears of the stage mesh to both the number three and the number four yields an integer. In this way, the stage may be provided with either three or four planetary gears. The gearbox may have a ring gear common to a plurality of simple planetary stages. Where the final stage is a simple planetary stage, the carrier may be provided with a flange extending around, and bearing mounted to, the common ring gear.

Abstract: A collet end effector comprises two jaws pivotably mounted in a housing for movement between an open and a closed position. A collet sleeve surrounds the jaws and is slidably mounted in the housing for movement along the jaws toward and away from a gripping end of the jaws. Each of the jaws has a cam surface; the collet sleeve has collet bearings for riding along the cam surface. The cam surface has a ramp region configured such that as the collet sleeve moves toward the jaws gripping end while the collet bearings ride along the ramp region, the jaws move toward the jaws closed position. The cam surface also has a dwell region extending from the ramp region toward the jaw gripping end configured such that as the collet sleeve moves toward the jaw gripping end while the collet bearings ride along the dwell region, the jaws are maintained in the jaw closed position.