Patent ID: 7384228

Claim:
An insertion device configured to insert an object from a first environment having a first set of environmental conditions to a second environment having a second set of environmental conditions, the insertion device comprising: a vessel supported by a frame and having a vessel wall, an interior of the vessel being conditionable, wherein the vessel is essentially dynamically decoupled from the frame; a gate positioned in said vessel wall, said gate configured to enable the transfer of said object into said vessel, out of said vessel, or both; an insertion robot supported by the frame and having a robot arm, the robot arm having at least a portion thereof extending into said vessel; and an object support pad coupled to said portion of said robot arm that extends into said vessel, said object support pad configured to carry said object along a predetermined trajectory through said gate, wherein the robot arm is essentially dynamically decoupled from the frame and the vessel wall in at least one degree of freedom.