Abstract: A multiple axis displacement sensor is provided for sensing displacement of two relatively movable parts in a plurality of degrees of freedom. There are a plurality of displacement sensing units, each unit including at least two magnetic poles mounted on one of the parts, and at least two Hall Effect devices mounted on the other of the parts, and disposed relative to the poles so that relative displacement of parts in at least one degree of freedom causes at least one of the poles to move toward a respective said Hall Effect device and at least one other of the poles to move away from another respective Hall Effect device. The outputs of the Hall Effect device are differentially combined to produce a signal linearly representative of displacement of the poles relative to the Hall Effect devices.

Abstract: A self-teaching RCC device robot feedback system including: a robot mechanism; an RCC device carried by the robot mechanism; a robot driver unit for directing motion of the RCC device in an environment; means for determining the displacement of an RCC device with respect to the robot; and an adaptive learning system, responsive to the means for determining displacement, for detecting a pattern of displacements of the RCC device relative to its environment and generating commands to the robot driver unit to direct motion of the RCC device.

Abstract: A null seeking control system for a remote center compliance (RCC) device including: detector means for sensing the position of the operator means of an RCC device relative to the fixed portion of that RCC device; a threshold circuit, responsive to the detector means, for determining for each degree of freedom whether the operator means is at a null region, offset in a first direction or offset in a second direction relative to the fixed portion of the RCC device; and a correction circuit, responsive to the threshold circuit, for providing an error correction signal to maintain the null position of the operator means relative to the fixed portion of the RCC device.