Robot controller performing soft control

A robot controller for controlling a robot having a plurality of articulated shafts, the robot controller performing soft control in which a virtual damper is made to act between a tool of the robot and an objective workpiece in a direction defined by a tool coordinate system in a fixed position-and-orientation with respect to the tool of the robot or a working coordinate system in a fixed position-and-orientation relation with respect to the objective workpiece, comprising:

• gain reducing arrangement for selecting an articulated shaft from the plurality of articulated shafts of the robot based on a soft control starting position where the soft control is started and the virtual damper when performing the soft control, and reducing at least one of position gain and speed gain of the selected articulated shaft lower than at least one of position gain normal value and speed gain normal value of the selected articulated shaft and
• a correction torque reducing arrangement for reducing a correction torque of the certain articulated shaft calculated based on the soft control starting position and the virtual damper lower than a correction torque normal value of the selected articulated shaft when performing the soft control.