Abstract: A method for control of a cooperative object-transporting robot, in which a man and a robot transport a long object or a large-sized object while grasping each of the ends of the object. An angle of a hand-tip of the robot is detected by angle sensors, and based on the sensor signals, a motion instruction for a translational motion of the hand-tip in the vertical direction is output so as to keep the posture of the object horizontal.

Abstract: A method for control of a cooperative object-transporting robot, in which a man and a robot transport a long object or a large-sized object while grasping each of the ends of the object. An angle of a hand-tip of the robot is detected by angle sensors, and based on the sensor signals, a motion instruction for a translational motion of the hand-tip in the vertical direction is output so as to keep the posture of the object horizontal.

Abstract: A control of a cooperative object-transporting robot which transports an object in cooperation with a man. The robot shares substantially a half of the weight of the object with the man, while the object is kept in a horizontal posture. A force applied to the robot by the object is detected by a force sensor, and based on the signal from the force sensor, a motion instruction is output for the motion components by the rotational force component &tgr;1 around the horizontal axis and the translational force component Fx1 in the horizontal back-and-forth direction, upon setting a gain to reduce the resistance forces of the robot to small values. The translational force component Fy in the direction of the object short axis is constrained so that no translational motion in the direction of the object short axis occurs.

Abstract: A power assist apparatus includes an autonomously mobile base on which a manipulator for holding a load is mounted. The movement of the mobile base is controlled such that when the manipulator tip is within a prescribed operating region relative to the mobile base, the mobile base is maintained stationary, but when the manipulator tip moves outside the operating region, the mobile base is moved to decrease the distance between the mobile base and the manipulator tip. The power assist apparatus assists with the carrying of loads by amplifying an operational force applied to the manipulator.

Abstract: An arm mechanism includes a drive control mechanism that uses an end effector coordinate system and has an end effector drive control mechanism. The drive control mechanism includes an end effector rotational drive control mechanism and an end effector coordinate system translational drive control mechanism. The rotational drive control mechanism has three rotational actuators for driving end effector rotation about each axis separately. The end effector coordinate system translational drive control mechanism has an end effector coordinate system translational actuator to drive translational motion of the object. The drive control mechanism further includes an orientation maintenance mechanism that maintains the orientation of the target object on the absolute coordinate system and two absolute coordinate system translational actuators supported on the orientation maintenance mechanism for providing translational motion of the object along two orthogonal axes on the absolute coordinate system.

Abstract: A method of controlling a force assist apparatus worn on a human body comprises separating a force signal relating to a load force imposed on the force assist apparatus detected by a force sensor into a static force component and a dynamic force component, attenuating the static force by a smaller factor than the factor by which the dynamic force is attenuated, attenuating the dynamic force by a factor within a range according to actuator output margin in which saturation does not occur, summing the attenuated signals, subtracting an operating force signal detected by a force sensor from the sum, and using the total signal as an output command to drive actuators.

Abstract: A self reconfigurable cellular robotic system comprises cells having arms which can be independently extended and retracted in both directions along three orthogonal axes by actuators and coupling member at the distal ends of the arms for coupling adjacent cells. The arrangement of the cells can be modified by extending and retracting the arms and coupling and uncoupling the coupling members.

Abstract: A torque sensor for a pulley-belt driving system has a belt passed round a drive pulley and a driven pulley. The torque sensor has a frame having opposite ends respectively in contact with first and second parts of the belt, a beam secured to a stationary body and supporting the frame and strain detection means for detecting the strain of the beam.

Abstract: A variable compliance manipulator comprising a five linkage structure in which one stationary segment and at least four moving segments are connected with one another through joints each having one degree of freedom, and actuators disposed on two or three of the joints and having a variable-stiffness property, wherein the stiffness of motion of the manipulator in working can be adjusted by detecting and delivering the change in angle of the moving segments to a servo system for controlling the actuators.

Abstract: An apparatus for the discrimination of myoelectric potential patterns, which operates with a procedure comprising the steps of discriminantly screening instruction signals from myoelectric potential signals issuing from the subject's body, performing arithmetic operations of the linear-discriminant functions on the instruction signals against the gravity coefficients fixed in advance based on the data of average myoelectric potential patterns from the modes of motions involved, and classifying the signal of the largest value selected from the results of said arithmetic operations with respect to the prescribed mode of motion.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in a system for transmitting information in the form of electric stimuli to a subject through the medium of a multiplicity of electrodes attached to the subject, which apparatus comprises analogue switches provided one each for the electrodes at their respective input sides and a decoder adapted to effect the "ON-OFF" control of these analogue switches. The pulse signals generated by a stimulator to represent a given piece of information are transmitted to the analogue switches, and then the pulse signals are applied to the subject only through the electrodes which are in their "ON" state at the time of the reception of the signals, giving required electric stimuli to the subject.

Abstract: In the transmission of information through the medium of electrocutaneous stimuli, the data is generally transmitted by issuing signals in the form of pulse trains which carry the information in terms of their frequency of repetition, the duration time of the train of pulses, the pulse height and the pulse width. Different pulse signals, on conveyance to the organism, generate thereon one and the same magnitude of sensation when the products of pulse widths multiplied by the squares of respective pulse heights are equal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for determining the contour of a plane form in which system the plane form is exposed to an industrial television camera; the video signal from the camera is converted into a train of binary signals "1" or "0", depending on whether a sampling point is bright or dark on the photo-electric converting plane of the camera; and the contour of the plane form is determined from the incremental length of the camera movement relative to the plane form or from the amount of the phase-shift of the sampling pulse required for causing the inversion of binary signals at the sampling points close to the contour of the plane form.