Patent ID: 7461753

Claim:
A power assisted manual manipulator comprising: a support capable of being moveable and variably affixable within a manufacturing environment; a carriage supported on said support and movable along a first horizontal direction; a bridge drive assembly for imparting movement onto said carriage along said horizontal direction; a fixture drive assembly for imparting motion within said carriage along a second horizontal direction perpendicular to said first horizontal direction; a lift mechanism moving an end effector, wherein said lift mechanism is supported by rails of said carriage and being rotatable below the plane formed by said first horizontal direction and said second horizontal direction; an operator control mechanism provided as a means to receive an operator's inputs, said operator control mechanism thereby directly encoding signals to command a control mechanism, said operator control mechanism being in a position fixed relative to said end effector, and in a position that allows an operator to easily see said end effector and to provide guidance and control thereto, said operator control mechanism comprises: a fixed left hand grip; a left joystick proximate to said left hand grip, said left joystick is manipulated by the operator's left thumb when said left hand grip is wrapped in the operator's left palm; a fixed right hand grip; a right joystick proximate to said right hand grip, said right joystick is manipulated by the operator's right thumb when said right hand grip is wrapped in the operator's right palm; wherein said right grip and said left grip provides an ergonomic grip for gripping, guiding and controlling said operator control mechanism.