Abstract: One object is to provide a speed reducer provided with a buffer mechanism for reducing an external force and capable of reliably measuring a load torque during an operation. A speed reducing device includes a speed reducing mechanism for reducing a rotation speed of an output with respect to an input between an input rotary shaft and an output rotary shaft, a housing that houses the speed reducing mechanism, and a buffer unit formed of an elastic member and having a cushion force acting mainly in a substantially rotational tangential direction. An amount of displacement of the housing generated by the buffer unit is measured by a measurement device.

Abstract: One object is to provide a speed reducer provided with a buffer mechanism for reducing an external force and capable of reliably measuring a load torque during an operation. A speed reducing device includes a speed reducing mechanism for reducing a rotation speed of an output with respect to an input between an input rotary shaft and an output rotary shaft, a housing that houses the speed reducing mechanism, and a buffer unit formed of an elastic member and having a cushion force acting mainly in a substantially rotational tangential direction. An amount of displacement of the housing generated by the buffer unit is measured by a measurement device.

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 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.