Remote manipulator arm

A remote manipulator arm comprising an articulated assembly connecting a manipulator to a support, said articulated assembly being built up from a plurality of independently motorized arm components each of which comprises at least one motor and an elongate body equipped with an axially-directed fixed coupling at one end and with a moving portion at its other end, said moving portion being caused to move relative to the body under the control of said at least one motor, and being constituted, in the case of an end component, by said manipulator, and in the case of any other arm component by a moving coupling for connection to the fixed coupling of an adjacent arm component, said support being equipped with a moving coupling for connection to the fixed coupling of the first arm component of the articulated assembly;

• the improvement wherein at least one of said arm components further comprises at least one intermediate fixed coupling located on the side of its body between its ends and directed at 90.degree. to the axis of the body, said intermediate fixed coupling being identical to the axially directed fixed coupling of said one arm component interchangeably useable with the fixed end coupling connection to a moving coupling of another arm component thereby providing an arm component capable of being arranged in the articulated arm assembly in at least two different configurations relative to the moving coupling to which it is connected reducing the distance between the main articulation and the load borne by the manipulator thereby giving rise to a greater lifting power and providing a three component arm with practically the same lifting power as prior two component arms.