Importance

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Abstract

An industrial robot (15) is disclosed which has a flexible frame or body and is constructed so as to have six degrees of freedom and a work envelope which is substantially free of dead spaces. A free end of the body includes an end effector (27) for performing a task. To determine the position of the end effector (27) within the work envelope and to displace the end effector (27) according to the task requirements, a system is provided in which embedded microprocessors are interconnected with a signal transmitter (ST) located at the body free end (23) and receivers (R1, R2, R3) fixed in their positions on the stationary base (16) of the body. Continual monitoring of the end effector location is possible and adjustment in position may be made immediately. A remote computer linked to the microprocessors provides instructions for the operation and displacement of the robot. The degrees of freedom for the body are movement about a vertical axis, a horizontal axis and within a plane oriented so as to be in-line with the vertical axis and perpendicular to the horizontal axis. Actuating mechanisms are provided for effecting movement of the flexible body either sequentially or simultaneously about the two axes and within the plane. Movement by the flexible body within the plane is accomplished hydraulically with bladder actuators positioned along the length of the segmented body and connected for fluid communication between each other.

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First Claim