| 摘要 |
A method of placing an article onto a surface in close proximity to an adjacent previously-placed article, comprises gripping the article between a pair of jaws, tilting it away from the previously-placed article about an axis parallel to the surface and thereafter releasing it by opening the jaws, the tilt being sufficient to bring the lowered side of the gripped article close to the surface, with the elevated jaw remaining sufficiently high to clear the previously-placed article as it opens. A manipulator suitable for carrying out this method comprises, a gripper having a pair of jaws, a supporting structure for positioning the gripper and an orientation zone interconnecting the gripper and supporting structure for orientating the gripper, the orientation zone comprising means for tilting the gripper about a first axis and means for rotating the gripper about a second axis wherein the tilting means lie between the gripper and the rotation means and the axis of tilt is perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the orientation zone being connected to the supporting structure by a joint which enables the first axis to be held parallel to the surface when the gripper is tilted.
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