Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7421314 | Method and device for controlling robot A method for controlling a robot during an interpolation of a trajectory or motion to any prescribed position, comprises the steps of a) ignoring at least one of the three originally prescribed or interpolated tool center point orientation values; b) finding new too... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7386365 | Tool grip calibration for robotic surgery Telerobotic, telesurgical, and surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods selectively calibrate end effector jaws by bringing the jaw elements into engagement with each other. Commanded torque signals may bring the end effector elements into engagement while mon... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7334314 | Work treatment installation A work treatment installation comprises several side-by-side machine tools and at least one work supply and discharge device. It further comprises a work transport device which bridges both of them and comprises a displaceable and vertically sliding lifting skid wit... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7331750 | Parallel robot A parallel robot or parallel kinematics mechanism is provided for uses such as robotics or machining. The mechanism comprises a fixed base, a main arm, and a first and second support arm to position and orient an object in a cylindrical space with at least three deg... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7330774 | Reception system An operation control unit of a reception system includes a visitor ID information DB for storing therein visitor comparison information and visitor ID information including a phone number of a receiver of a visitor; an identifying unit for identifying the visitor wh... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7321808 | Robot and multiple robot control method When braking of a motion of a part of a first robot is assumed to be started at points in time, a first stop position of the first robot part is estimated at each point in time. When braking of a motion of a part of a second robot is assumed to be started at the poi... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7299533 | Process for lapping ring and pinion gears A method for processing a gear set through a lapping operation that includes: providing a lapping machine tool having a first spindle and a second spindle, the second spindle being rotatable about an axis that is generally perpendicular to a rotational axis of the f... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7254464 | System and methods for adaptive control of robotic devices Methods for operating robotic devices (i.e., “robots”) that employ adaptive behavior relative to neighboring robots and external (e.g., environmental) conditions. Each robot is capable of receiving, processing, and acting on one or more multi-device primitive co... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7253578 | Pivoting apparatus of industrial robot There is provided a pivoting apparatus of an industrial robot including: a brake 40 that is fixed to a motor shaft 30s of a motor 30 to halt the motor 30; an encoder 50 that is fixed to the motor shaft 30s to d... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7244093 | Object handling apparatus An object handling apparatus capable of securely holding an object and precisely transferring the held object from a first place to a second place without need of a specific jig for positioning the object on a pallet. A position of an object supplied to the first pl... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7230402 | Swing device of industrial robot There is provided a pivoting apparatus of an industrial robot including: a brake 40 that is fixed to a motor shaft 30s of a motor 30 to halt the motor 30; an encoder 50 that is fixed to the motor shaft 30s to d... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7118582 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A medical system which has a robotic arm that can move a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument is coupled to a tool driver of the arm that allows for a quick connect and disconnect of the instrument. The system does not require any tools to attach the surgica... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7117067 | System and methods for adaptive control of robotic devices Methods for operating robotic devices (i.e., “robots”) that employ adaptive behavior relative to neighboring robots and external (e.g., environmental) conditions. Each robot is capable of receiving, processing, and acting on one or more multi-device primitive co... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7076333 | Releasable, repeatable electrical connection employing compression An electrical connection of a transfer station releasably, repeatably electrically couples with respect to a matching connection of a portable cartridge. A substrate in the portable cartridge has electrical contacts on a facing surface. In the transfer station, a ma... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7025064 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7027892 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7024250 | Method and apparatus for the synchronous control of manipulations A method for the synchronous control of several manipulators, such as several industrial robots, is characterized in that control units of specific manipulators exchange control information according to the data structures contained in a corresponding control progra... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6959231 | Robot system A robot system includes a plurality of segments 3, joints 4 for linking the segments together, drive units 5 for actuating the joints, and a controller 8 for controlling the drive units. Further, the robot system has bladders 2 fil... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6922611 | Automation equipment control system A automation equipment control system comprises a general purpose computer with a general purpose operating system in electronic communication with a real-time computer subsystem. The general purpose computer includes a program execution module to selectively start ... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6902015 | Two-leg walking humanoid robot A biped walking humanoid robot is disclosed having an arrangement whereby shocks acting on various parts of the robot when it falls can be relieved and its state of fall can then be detected. The robot has a body (11) capable of bending forward, a pair of leg... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6898484 | Robotic manufacturing and assembly with relative radio positioning using radio based location determination Global positioning system inputs are used in a manufacturing process where location of a work piece relative to a robotic manipulator is input into a control system. The manipulator is located and tracked by using “GPS” signals, as is an associated work piece. R... | 05/24/2005 |
| 6885911 | Track anomaly detection in an automated data storage library Track anomalies in an automated storage library are detected by transmitting a track health signal from one portion of the track. The presence of a track anomaly is determined based on any reception of the transmitted signal at another portion of the track. ... | 04/26/2005 |
| 6845295 | Method of controlling a robot through a singularity A method of controlling a robot (32) includes the steps of selecting an initial configuration from at least one of a first, second, and third sets to position a TCP at a starting point (44) along a path (33) and selecting a final configuration d... | 01/18/2005 |
| 6845276 | Multiple axis modular controller and method of operating same A multiple axis modular controller and a method of operating the controller in a system comprising input devices receiving indications of system conditions and output devices performing tasks affecting the system conditions. The controller includes input connectors ... | 01/18/2005 |
| 6810306 | Data storage library status monitoring Library system health is monitored and displayed based on the location of equipment within the library relative to track layout. Robotic devices travel on rails within the data storage library accessing data storage devices such as cartridges, cassettes, media packa... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6785572 | Tactile feedback and display in a CT image guided robotic system for interventional procedures A system (10) for conducting an image-guided medical procedure on a subject (20) includes a medical imaging apparatus (100) which intermittently during the procedure obtains, upon demand, real-time medical images of the actual procedure. A robot... | 08/31/2004 |
| 6761522 | Automated cell for handling of workpieces An automated cell for the handling of workpieces is disclosed that comprises a working space within which a two-dimensional gantry that comprises a first and a second linear axis which are coupled to each other. A first gripping device is movable across the working ... | 07/13/2004 |
| 6752581 | Apparatus for removing and transporting articles from molds This invention relates to a device for removing and transporting articles, such as ophthalmic lens mold sections, or packaging elements from a mold. The invention, in one embodiment includes first, second, and third assemblies; the first of which removes the article... | 06/22/2004 |
| 6722836 | Linked manufacturing system for processing parts A linked manufacturing system for processing parts is disclosed having at least a first processing station for performing a first processing operation, and having a second processing station for performing a second processing operation. At least a first gantry exten... | 04/20/2004 |
| 6691001 | Diagnostic port between independent robots An automated storage library structure, a structure of at least one robot operating within the automated storage library, and a method of connecting the robot to test equipment to facilitate testing. The robot is operative to move about the automated stor... | 02/10/2004 |
| 6675070 | Automation equipment control system A automation equipment control system comprises a general purpose computer with a general purpose operating system in electronic communication with a real-time computer subsystem. The general purpose computer includes a program execution module to selecti... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6672820 | Semiconductor processing apparatus having linear conveyer system A transport system for manipulating a semiconductor wafer in a processing tool is set forth. The system includes a transport unit guide disposed within the processing tool for supporting a wafer transfer unit as the unit moves between a first position and... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6640458 | End arm effector set-up An adjustable end arm effector alignment system and process is provided. The system includes an arm having a working end and an alignment support in a known location relative to said arm. An adjustable end arm effector including at least two alignment mem... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6591164 | Library failover method using hot spare redundant picker mechanism A "hot spare" method for facilitating the seamless transition from a failed robotic mechanism to backup unit is provided. A spare robot is located inside a storage library on a section of rail (robotic track) from which it can be utilized on any rail laye... | 07/08/2003 |
| 6584378 | Device and a method for determining coordinates and orientation When determining coordinates of a point of an object (2) in a reference system of coordinates and the orientation of the object in the space in a measuring position assumed by the object, the object is moved from a start position having known coordinates ... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6567723 | Program executing method, system and program processing unit for robot A method, system and program processing unit for a robot, by which the safety during execution of a program is improved. The program processing unit comprises a program interpreter, a command rejection device and a command execution device. When the progr... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6538410 | Legged mobile robot and external module for the robot A legged mobile robot in which sensors which can measure contact pressure are provided so as to be distributed at corresponding portions of whole body of the robot in order to determine the state of contact with the external world. In addition, modules wh... | 03/25/2003 |
| 6471165 | Surgical microscope and stand assembly The surgical microscope with a stand, the microscope having altogether up to six degrees of freedom and being fixed on the microscope mounting by means of elements of the stand which has two vertical pivoting axes and for the height adjustment a parallelo... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6470236 | System and method for controlling master and slave manipulator In a system and a method for remotely controlling a slave manipulator easily and highly accurately, operations of three master manipulators are consolidated, and one slave manipulator is remotely controlled in accordance with the consolidation result, the... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6466843 | Method and apparatus for lifting objects In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for lifting objects comprises a Cartesian manipulator, a machine vision system for acquiring video images of the objects, and a control processor for processing the video images and providing position c... | 10/15/2002 |
