Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: dml@philabs.philips.com (Damian M. Lyons)
Subject: Re: spine robots
Message-ID: <1993Nov2.182257.24203@philabs.philips.com>
Originator: dml@rabbit
Keywords: spine
Sender: news@philabs.philips.com (Mr. C. News)
Reply-To: dml@philabs.philips.com
Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff Manor NY
References:  <CFtIJK.AoD@uceng.uc.edu>
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1993 18:22:57 GMT
Lines: 28


In article <CFtIJK.AoD@uceng.uc.edu>, bmatthew@uceng.uc.edu (Bradley Owen Matthews) writes:
|> 
|> 	I am interested in doing some work in the spinal manipulator.  
|> if anyone knows of current research, or past research that i could get a hold
|> of I would appreciate it.  Also I read once that a Swedish company made some, 
|> anyone know a name or address?

Do you mean the Swedish-built spine robot from circa 1982? This was apparently
a spin-off of a research project at Chalmers Institute of Technology and
used to be (is??) built by a small company called Spine Robotics AB in 
Molndal, Sweden. (This was the parent company for Selspine AB, who sell a
neat 3-d motion recording package.)

If it's the same arm, it consists of two sections of stacked `ovoids', disks
kind of like spinal vertebrae, controlled by two pairs of cables actuated
by hydraulic cylinders. The main application seems to have been spray
painting, since this exploited the ability of the arm to reach into and
around products. 

There is a good overview article in Manufacturing Engineering Sept 1984, and
I seem to recall reading a UMass TR on an approach to spine kinematics.

Damian.


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