Abstract: A lower-limb joint orthosis includes a lower component supporting the foot region, an upper component attached to the lower-limb, and an orthotic joint coupling both components. The orthotic joint includes: a stator including some fluid chambers in which an MR fluid is enclosed; and a rotor including partition plates protruding into the respective fluid chambers. The stator includes a communication path between the anterior chamber and the posterior chamber. The rotor includes connection paths that connect the anterior chambers together, and connect the posterior chambers together. An electromagnet is placed on a side surface of the communication path so that a rotational resistance of the lower component and the upper component is adjusted by adjusting a magnetic force to control the viscosity of the MR fluid that flows through the communication path.

Abstract: A planarization apparatus and method that thins and planarizes a substrate by grinding and polishing the rear surface of the substrate with high throughput, and that fabricates a semiconductor substrate with reduced adhered contaminants. A planarization apparatus that houses various mechanism elements in semiconductor substrate loading/unloading stage chamber, a rear-surface polishing stage chamber, and a rear-surface grinding stage chamber. The throughput time of the rear-surface polishing stage that simultaneously polishes two substrates is typically about double the throughput time of the rear-surface grinding stage that grinds one substrate.

Abstract: A lower-limb joint orthosis includes a lower component supporting the foot region, an upper component attached to the lower-limb, and an orthotic joint coupling both components. The orthotic joint comprises: a stator including some fluid chambers in which an MR fluid is enclosed; and a rotor including partition plates protruding into the respective fluid chambers. The stator includes a communication path between the anterior chamber and the posterior chamber. The rotor includes connection paths that connect the anterior chambers together, and connect the posterior chambers together. An electromagnet is placed on a side surface of the communication path so that a rotational resistance of the lower component and the upper component is adjusted by adjusting a magnetic force to control the viscosity of the MR fluid that flows through the communication path.

Abstract: To provide a high-rigidity flat grinding device, a substrate flat grinding device has three fastening plate lifting-and-lowering mechanisms that have kinematic couplings and a cylinder rod that move the fastening plate upward or downward. Being a high-rigidity grinding device in which the load of the fastening plate 6 also is a load on the grindstone 14 that does the grinding, there is little deflection in the thickness distribution of the substrates that are obtained, even if they are semiconductor substrates having a large substrate diameter of 450 mm.

Abstract: A planarization apparatus and method that thins and planarizes a substrate by grinding and polishing the rear surface of the substrate with high throughput, and that fabricates a semiconductor substrate with reduced adhered contaminants. A planarization apparatus that houses various mechanism elements in semiconductor substrate loading/unloading stage chamber, a rear-surface polishing stage chamber, and a rear-surface grinding stage chamber. The throughput time of the rear-surface polishing stage that simultaneously polishes two substrates is typically about double the throughput time of the rear-surface grinding stage that grinds one substrate.

Abstract: To provide a high-rigidity flat grinding device, a substrate flat grinding device has three fastening plate lifting-and-lowering mechanisms that have kinematic couplings and a cylinder rod that move the fastening plate upward or downward. Being a high-rigidity grinding device in which the load of the fastening plate 6 also is a load on the grindstone 14 that does the grinding, there is little deflection in the thickness distribution of the substrates that are obtained, even if they are semiconductor substrates having a large substrate diameter of 450 mm.

Abstract: A method for forming a barb of a fishhook including the steps of pressing a thin flat portion of the tip and either cutting or chipping a part of the barb to form a rear face on a side opposite the tip of the hook. At least either upper or lower lateral sides of the hook tip may be cut to form flat or concave lateral cut faces with a sharp edge along a ridge at a juncture of the lateral cut faces.

Abstract: A fishhook including a fishhook body and a tip portion having a hook tip and a barb and extending from said hook tip to said barb, the tip portion having upper lateral cut faces and lower lateral cut faces on upper and lower lateral sides thereof and sharp edges extending from said hook tip to said barb along ridges at junctures of the upper lateral cut faces and of said lower lateral cut faces.