Robot covered with visco-elastic material

摘要

It is difficult to use in combination a technique of detecting a collision of an arm due to application thereto of an external force and a technique of alleviating the degree of impact of the arm by covering the arm with a cushioning material. This is so because if it is intended to alleviate the impact degree, the timing of detection of the generation of the collision is delayed. The disclosed technique is to overcome the relation of the opposing factors by using a visco-elastic material. Particularly, by selecting the viscosity coefficient and the elasticity coefficient of the material in predetermined ranges, it is possible to alleviate the impact degree without excessive delay of the impact detection timing and forcibly stop the arm before the force acting between the arm and the object exceeds a permissible level.