Abstract: The invention relates to a robot manipulator, wherein a braking device arranged on at least one of the joints of the manipulator is activated by a control unit in order to generate such a residual torque that a maximum torque is not exceeded at the joint, and the residual torque is determined on the basis of sensor determination and/or estimation of the torque currently present at the joint, wherein the estimation is based on a measure, multiplied by a first predefined factor, of a gravitational influence acting on the at least one of the joints, or is based on a dynamic model of the robot manipulator, the dynamic model having the gravitational influence, wherein the control unit determines the gravitational influence on the basis of a joint angle vector with joint angles between the at least one of the joints and a distal end of the robot manipulator.

Abstract: A method for specifying a velocity of a robot manipulator, including: providing a database that has a data record for each of selected surface points on the manipulator, wherein each data record indicates, for each of possible stiffnesses and/or masses of an object in an environment of the manipulator, a safe normal velocity of each surface point, wherein the normal velocity is a component of the velocity vector of each surface point perpendicular to a surface of each surface point, detecting an actual stiffness and/or an actual mass of the object in the environment, assigning the actual stiffness and/or the actual mass to a normal velocity of a given data record for each surface point, and specifying a velocity for each surface point on a current or planned path of the manipulator, such that the velocity at each surface point is less than or equal to an assigned normal velocity.

Abstract: A device to detect medical status of a person, including a robot manipulator to receive and handle effectors, each effector enabling a selected activity; a first unit to determine a current state ZRM(t) of the robot manipulator and a current state of an effector; a second unit to determine a current position LKT,AKTk(t) of a person's body part related to the selected activity in a working region of the robot manipulator; a third unit to determine a wrench KW(t) acting on the robot manipulator; a fourth unit to specify target data and permissible deviations for the selected activity; and a control unit to control the robot manipulator upon specification of the selected activity as a function of: ZRM(t), LKT,AKTk(t), KW(t), target data, and permissible deviations, such that when a permissible deviation is exceeded, the robot manipulator and the effector are placed into a safe state based on the selected activity.

Abstract: A method of operating a robot manipulator, the method including: specifying a maximum permissible force to be exerted on an object by the robot manipulator, specifying a target position of a reference point of the robot manipulator, determining a current position of the reference point, performing an impedance regulation, which determines a current reference force of an artificial spring component based on a spring stiffness and based on a difference between the current position and the target position of the reference point of the robot manipulator, and controlling the robot manipulator to execute an emergency control program if the current reference force exceeds the maximum permissible force.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for calibrating a virtual force sensor of a robot manipulator, wherein the following steps are carried out in a plurality of poses: applying an external wrench to the robot manipulator, ascertaining an estimate of the external wrench, ascertaining a first calibration matrix based on the ascertained estimate and a specified external wrench, ascertaining a second calibration matrix by inverting the first calibration matrix, and storing the respective second calibration matrix in a data set of all of the second calibration matrices, thereby assigning each second calibration matrix to the respective pose for which each second calibration matrix was ascertained.

Abstract: A method of determining an installation site of a robot manipulator at a workstation, the method including: recording a respective image of the robot manipulator and of the workstation of the robot manipulator, and of a workpiece to be machined at the workstation via a camera unit, wherein the respective image contains spatial information; transmitting the respective image to a computing unit; and determining the installation site of the robot manipulator by applying a non-linear optimization of a predefined cost function and/or of a neural network via the computing unit based on a predefined task for machining the workpiece and based on the spatial information determined by the computing unit from the respective image.

Abstract: A method of controlling a robot manipulator, the method including: providing a database containing body zones of a person, wherein each of the body zones is assigned a respective maximum permissible value of contact pressure value, determining a current or a future contact event of the robot manipulator involving the person, and determining a body zone of the person that is contacted, determining a reference position fixed relative to a body of the person, wherein the reference position indicates beginning of a spatial progression of depression of tissue of the person during the contact event with the person, and controlling the robot manipulator in an impedance-regulated manner, such that the reference position serves as a zero position of an artificial spring component of impedance regulation of the robot manipulator and a maximum permissible contact pressure is not exceeded as a limit value.

Abstract: A control unit to ascertain one or more parameters of a control program and/or of a control system for a robot manipulator, wherein the control unit includes: an interactive operating unit to display a first adjustment element and a specified region for the first adjustment element, wherein the first adjustment element is moveable within the specified region via an input of a user, the interactive operating unit further to detect a user-specified position of the first adjustment element and transmit the user-specified position; and a computing unit to receive the user-specified position and ascertain weightings for a specified cost function as a function of the position, wherein a sum of the weightings is constant for all positions of the adjustment element, the computing unit further to ascertain the parameters of the control program and/or of the control system for the robot manipulator based on the cost function.

Abstract: A method of calibrating an impedance control of a robot manipulator, the method including: deflecting a reference point of the robot manipulator from a zero position to a deflected position, wherein the robot manipulator applies a counterforce dependent on a spring constant of the impedance control and on a first determined deflection, wherein the first determined deflection is determined based on joint angles detected by joint angle sensors of the robot manipulator; detecting a second determined deflection by an external position measuring unit; and adapting the spring constant of the impedance control in such a way that the counterforce applied by the robot manipulator corresponds to a predetermined counterforce of the robot manipulator based on the second determined deflection.

Abstract: A gripping device for a robot for gripping objects, including at least two gripping units each having a gripping finger and being transferable by a controlled movement between a release position and a gripping position gripping an object, the gripping units each having gripper elements which, in the gripping position, can be brought into contact with the object to be gripped, in which the gripper elements are rotatably mounted on the gripping fingers of the gripping device.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a virtual force sensor of a robot manipulator, wherein in a plurality of poses, the method comprises: applying an external wrench to the robot manipulator ascertaining an estimate of the external wrench, ascertaining a respective cost function based on a difference between the determined estimate of the external wrench and a specified external wrench, ascertaining a respective calibration function by minimizing the respective cost function, and storing the respective calibration function in a data set of all calibration functions with assignment of the respective calibration function to a respective pose for which the respective calibration function was ascertained.

Abstract: A method of generating a control program, wherein the method includes: executing an application by the first robot manipulator, at the same time, determining trajectory data and/or wrench data, determining robot commands from a stored time series, the robot commands being principal elements of the control program for the robot manipulator without relation to design conditions of a first robot manipulator, and generating the control program for a second robot manipulator based on the stored robot commands and based on the design conditions of the second robot manipulator.

Abstract: A robot system including: a robot manipulator that includes links interconnected by joints with degrees of freedom that are at least partially redundant to one another; an operating unit configured to detect an input from a user with respect to at least one selected direction of a force; and a control unit configured to receive the input from the operating unit, determine components of a transpose of a Jacobian matrix associated with a respective selected direction for a predetermined position and/or orientation of a distal end of the robot manipulator in a null space such that a first metric based on the components satisfies one of following criteria: unequal to zero, greater than a specified limit, or a maximum, and control the robot manipulator to move a subset of the links in the null space so as to assume a pose according to the components as determined.

Abstract: A system for performing an input on a robotic manipulator, wherein the system includes: a robotic manipulator having a plurality of limbs connected to one another by articulations and having actuators; a sensor unit configured to record an input variable, applied by a user by manually guiding the robotic manipulator, on the robotic manipulator, wherein the input variable is a kinematic variable or a force and/or a moment, and wherein the sensor unit is configured to transmit the input variable; and a computing unit connected to the robotic manipulator and to the sensor unit, the computing unit configured to transform the input variable received from the sensor unit via a predefined input variable mapping, wherein the input variable mapping defines a mathematical mapping of the input variable onto a coordinate of a graphical user interface or onto a setting of a virtual control element.

Abstract: A method of specifying an input value on a robotic manipulator, wherein the method includes: selecting a particular predefined input device to be emulated, wherein the input device to be emulated is assigned at least one degree of freedom of the robotic manipulator and local limits in the at least one degree of freedom, and a transfer function of a coordinate of the robotic manipulator in the at least one degree of freedom is assigned onto the input value; actuating the robotic manipulator such that at least one part of the robotic manipulator is manually movable in the at least one degree of freedom and within the local limits; recording a respective coordinate in the at least one degree of freedom during or after completion of an input on the robotic manipulator via a sensor unit; and applying the transfer function to assign the respective coordinate to the input value.

Abstract: A method includes: controlling actuators of a robot manipulator to compensate for influence of gravity; during a manual guidance of the robot manipulator detecting an orientation of an end effector; and controlling at least part of the actuators in such a way that during manual guidance of the end effector, the end effector: within a first range of a first rotation, opposes no or a speed-dependent resistance and outside the first range opposes a rotation angle-dependent resistance to the manual guidance, wherein the first rotation is a rotation angle of the end effector about its longitudinal axis; and within a second range of the second rotation, opposes no or a speed-dependent resistance to the manual guidance, and outside the second range, opposes a deflection-dependent resistance to the manual guidance, wherein the second rotation is a rotational deflection of the end effector from its original longitudinal axis or a vertical axis.

Abstract: A system for controlling at least one machine which is assigned an individual machine language including defined command variables, the machine undergoing a change of state in the course of the control, having a control module which is designed to transform command variables of an interaction language into corresponding command variables of an individual machine language depending of the type of machine and/or the machine language assigned thereto.

Abstract: A method of operating a robot manipulator including: ascertaining a wrench or joint torque vector based on a weight force and/or based on an inertial force of a mass of a load on an end effector of the robot manipulator; ascertaining a maximum permissible workspace and/or a maximum permissible kinematic variable, in each case based on the wrench or joint torque vector such that the wrench or joint torque vector does not exceed a predetermined metric within the maximum permissible workspace; and activating the robot manipulator to execute a predetermined task in consideration of the maximum permissible kinematic variable, such that the end effector or the load on the end effector remains within the maximum permissible workspace if, at beginning of execution of the task, the end effector or the load on the end effector is located within the maximum permissible workspace.

Abstract: A braking device for a drive device of a joint between two links of a robot arm including a brake activating device and a locking element, wherein the brake activating device is designed to bring the locking element into engagement with a rotor of the drive device as required in order to halt rotation of the rotor, the locking element being designed as a bolt and the braking element being designed as a braking star with webs which have a defined impact surface for the bolt.

Abstract: A robot gripper includes: a drive unit to drive a powertrain with active elements, wherein each element has a working region arranged in a body-fixed manner relative to the robot gripper, a respective element being moveable in and capable of reaching the working region; a control unit to control the drive unit; and a sensor system connected to the control unit to ascertain forces/moments applied externally to individual elements, the control unit configured such that collision monitoring is capable of being carried out for the elements, and when a collision is detected for an element, the drive unit is actuated according to a specified operation, including: providing a defined region within the working region for the elements, and collision monitoring for the elements only when the elements are located outside the assigned region, and deactivating collision monitoring when the elements are located at least partly within the assigned region.