Abstract: An apparatus includes a first wire and a second wire which are coupled to a right upper ankle belt and a right lower ankle belt, a third wire and a fourth wire which are coupled to a left upper ankle belt and a left lower ankle belt, an obtainer obtaining information about a road surface where a user walks, and a controller controlling tensions of the first wire and the second wire at the same time and controlling tensions of the third wire and the fourth wire at the same time using a first stiffness target value corresponding to the first wire, a second stiffness target value corresponding to the second wire, a third stiffness target value corresponding to the third wire, and a fourth stiffness target value corresponding to the fourth wire that are determined based on the information about the road surface.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first wire and a second wire which are coupled to a right upper ankle belt and a right lower ankle belt, a third wire and a fourth wire which are coupled to a left upper ankle belt and a left lower ankle belt, an obtainer obtaining user information about a user and information about walking action of the user, and a controller controlling tensions of the first wire and the second wire at the same time and controlling tensions of the third wire and the fourth wire at the same time using a first stiffness target value corresponding to the first wire, a second stiffness target value corresponding to the second wire, a third stiffness target value corresponding to the third wire, and a fourth stiffness target value corresponding to the fourth wire that are determined based on the user information and the walk information.

Abstract: An assist device includes an upper-body belt attached to the upper body of a user, first and second belts attached to the knees, a first wire coupling the upper-body belt to the first belt, a second wire crossing the first wire, a third wire coupling the upper-body belt to the second belt, a fourth wire crossing the third wire, and a motor coupled to one end of each of the first to fourth wires. When assisting users with walking, tensions equal to a first threshold value or greater are applied to one of the first and second wires and one of the third and fourth wires by the motor at different times. When detecting slacking of the upper-body belt, tensions equal to the first threshold value or greater are simultaneously applied to one of the first and second wires and one of the third and fourth wires by the motor.

Abstract: An assist system includes a fist belt worn on an upper body part of a user, a second belt worn on a knee of the user, a wire, a motor coupled with a first end of the wire and disposed on the first or second belt, a drive controller that controls drive of the motor, a gyro sensor that is disposed on the second belt and that measures an angular velocity about a direction perpendicular to the direction of the wire, and a controller. When the angular velocity is greater than or equal to a first threshold with a first tension being applied to the wire using the motor, the controller outputs first information. A second end of the wire is coupled with the second belt when the motor is disposed on the first belt but coupled with the first belt when the motor is disposed on the second belt.

Abstract: A robot determines whether or not an operator or an object is jammed between a robot arm and an external structure, classifies an area in which an end portion of the robot arm moves into a restricted area and an unrestricted area, and sets a restriction period. If a period after detection of the jam is in the restriction period and the end portion is in the restricted area, restriction on movement is imposed on one or more joints of the robot arm. The restriction on movement is a stoppage of movement of one or more joints. If the period after detection of the jam is after the restriction period, the restriction on movement is removed. If the period after detection of the jam is in the restriction period and the end portion is in the unrestricted area, the restriction on movement is not imposed on the joints.

Abstract: A robot arm temporarily stops when a contact detector detects contact. A holding motion selecting unit then selects one of continuously stopped motion, directionally limited motion, and directionally unlimited motion in accordance with information including one or both of a distance between the robot arm and a contacted object and force applied to the robot arm by a person. A motion controller causes the selected motion to achieve holding motion.

Abstract: A robot determines whether or not an operator or an object is jammed between a robot arm and an external structure, classifies an area in which an end portion of the robot arm moves into a restricted area and an unrestricted area, and sets a restriction period. If a period after detection of the jam is in the restriction period and the end portion is in the restricted area, restriction on movement is imposed on one or more joints of the robot arm. The restriction on movement is a stoppage of movement of one or more joints. If the period after detection of the jam is after the restriction period, the restriction on movement is removed. If the period after detection of the jam is in the restriction period and the end portion is in the unrestricted area, the restriction on movement is not imposed on the joints.

Abstract: A robot arm temporarily stops when a contact detector detects contact. A holding motion selecting unit then selects one of continuously stopped motion, directionally limited motion, and directionally unlimited motion in accordance with information including one or both of a distance between the robot arm and a contacted object and force applied to the robot arm by a person. A motion controller causes the selected motion to achieve holding motion.

Abstract: An inner pressure of an actuator is measured by a pressure measuring unit, and an amount of displacement of a movable mechanism is measured so that a position error compensation unit to which a desired value for the displacement and the measured value are inputted is allowed to compensate for a position error, and a desired value for a pressure difference of actuators that are competitively driven from the desired value is calculated by a desired pressure difference calculation unit, and an adjusted correcting value of the desired value for the pressure difference, obtained from the desired value of displacement and the measured value, is adjustably outputted from an adjustable desired inner-state correction unit, and thus, the outputs of these unit are inputted to a pressure difference error compensation unit so that a pressure difference error is compensated therewith.

Abstract: There is provided an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not an output measurement unit is abnormal, in order to determine abnormality of the output measurement unit. When the output measurement unit is abnormal, the operation of an elastic actuator is controlled not in accordance with a measurement result of the output measurement unit but in accordance with an internal state model.

Abstract: A desired joint torque output limiting unit limits operations of a desired joint torque output unit and a limit cancellation unit cancels the limitation by the output limiting unit. An actuator of a joint of a robot is controlled in accordance with modified desired joint torque outputted from the output limiting unit, so that the robot can be controlled even upon switching between dynamics parameters.

Abstract: There are included a desired joint torque output limiting unit for limiting operations of a desired joint torque output unit and a limit cancellation unit for canceling the limitation by the output limiting unit. An actuator of a joint of a robot is controlled in accordance with modified desired joint torque outputted from the output limiting unit, so that the robot can be controlled to be kept stopped even upon switching between dynamics parameters.

Abstract: There is provided an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not an output measurement unit is abnormal, in order to determine abnormality of the output measurement unit. When the output measurement unit is abnormal, the operation of an elastic actuator is controlled not in accordance with a measurement result of the output measurement unit but in accordance with an internal state model.

Abstract: An abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not an output measurement unit is abnormal is provided, and whether or not the output measurement unit is abnormal is determined. When the output measurement unit is abnormal, an elastic actuator is controlled based on a desired internal state decision unit and an internal state error compensation unit. Accordingly, it becomes possible to control the elastic actuator to continuously operate to a predetermined position without instantaneously stopping even when the output measurement unit is abnormal.

Abstract: An abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not an output measurement unit is abnormal is provided, and whether or not the output measurement unit is abnormal is determined. When the output measurement unit is abnormal, an elastic actuator is controlled based on a desired internal state decision unit and an internal state error compensation unit. Accordingly, it becomes possible to control the elastic actuator to continuously operate to a predetermined position without instantaneously stopping even when the output measurement unit is abnormal.

Abstract: Based upon a force in a vertical direction exerted between an object and a hand and an angle made by the hand relative to a horizontal face, a transporting force estimation unit estimates a transporting force applied in the vertical direction by a person, and based upon the estimated force, a force controlling operation is carried out so as to set a force in the vertical direction of the robot arm of a robot system to a predetermined force.

Abstract: A sensitivity identifying device has an operating object device configured to operate when an operation member is moved according to a force applied by a user, an assist force applying device for applying an assist force to movement of the operation member, an operation force parameter detecting device for detecting a value of an operation force parameter, an operation response parameter detecting device for detecting a value of an operation response parameter, a sensitivity identifying information storage section for storing sensitivity identifying information associating a sensitivity index, with a combination of the value of the operation force parameter and the operation response parameter, and a sensitivity determining unit for specifying the sensitivity index based on the combination of the value of the operation force parameter and the operation response parameter, and the sensitivity identifying information, and outputting the sensitivity index.

Abstract: An inner pressure of an actuator is measured by a pressure measuring unit, and an amount of displacement of a movable mechanism is measured so that a position error compensation unit to which a desired value for the displacement and the measured value are inputted is allowed to compensate for a position error, and a desired value for a pressure difference of actuators that are competitively driven from the desired value is calculated by a desired pressure difference calculation unit, and an adjusted correcting value of the desired value for the pressure difference, obtained from the desired value of displacement and the measured value, is adjustably outputted from an adjustable desired inner-state correction unit, and thus, the outputs of these unit are inputted to a pressure difference error compensation unit so that a pressure difference error is compensated therewith.

Abstract: Based upon a force in a vertical direction exerted between an object and a hand and an angle made by the hand relative to a horizontal face, a transporting force estimation unit estimates a transporting force applied in the vertical direction by a person, and based upon the estimated force, a force controlling operation is carried out so as to set a force in the vertical direction of the robot arm of a robot system to a predetermined force.

Abstract: A motor control apparatus includes a target value computation device which computes a target value of a current to be passed through a motor, a current detection device which detects a current passed through the motor, a command value computation device which computes a command value to the motor based on a deviation between the target value and the current value, a motor drive circuit which drives the motor based on the command value, a boosting circuit which boosts a voltage supplied to the motor, a judgment device which judges whether the command value exceeds a predetermined threshold, a rate-of-charge computation device which computes a rate of change of the command value to time, and a boosting control device which controls an boosting operation of the boosting circuit based on a result of the judgment device and the rate of change of the command value.