Abstract: A soft gripper including tentacles, each tentacle includes lower and upper members connected by a connector. Each member includes guide discs, and each guide disc includes a ring with passthrough holes, and a spacer located in a donut hole of the ring with passthrough holes, the passthrough holes collectively define cable pathways. The connector includes a center thru-hole and transfer channels. Cables have proximal ends attached to actuators and extend through apertures of a baseplate located at a proximal end of the lower member. A set of lower cables extend through the lower ring passthrough holes to couple to a distal lower guide disc. A set of upper cables extend through the lower spacer passthrough holes, through the transfer channels to the upper ring passthrough holes to couple to a distal upper guide ring, and an end cap is attached to the distal end of the upper member.

Abstract: A robot for performing an assembly operation is provided. The robot comprises a processor configured to determine a control law for controlling a plurality of motors of the robot to move a robotic arm according to an original trajectory, execute a self-exploration program to produce training data indicative of a space of the original trajectory, and learn, using the training data, a non-linear compliant control law including a non-linear mapping that maps measurements of a force sensor of the robot to a direction of corrections to the original trajectory defining the control law. The processor transforms the original trajectory according to a new goal pose to produce a transformed trajectory, update the control law according to the transformed trajectory to produce the updated control law, and command the plurality of motors to control the robotic arm according to the updated control law corrected with the compliance control law.

Abstract: A gripper system having tentacles including a control system configured to receive operator data and sensor data. Compare stored object configurations associated with grips to identify a corresponding set of object configurations using a target object shape and a pose via sensor data and select an object configuration. Compare stored commands to identify sets of commands corresponding to the object configuration and select sets of commands. If a set of pickup actions are received, compare to the corresponding object configuration to identify a set of pickup actions using the received set of pickup actions, and select a set of pickup actions. Compare the sets of commands to identify a corresponding first set of commands corresponding to a set of pickup actions using the set of pickup actions and select the first set of commands. If the received set of pickup actions are absent, then select a second set of commands.

Abstract: A tactile sensor including a camera positioned to capture images of marks. An elastically deformable skin including an outer surface having attributes and an undersurface having pins, ridges, or both. Each undersurface pin or ridge includes a mark. A processor detects displacement of the marks in captured images and compares the displaced positions of the marks in the captured images to stored sets of prelearned positions of marks, based on a distance function, to determine a quality of match value for each set of the prelearned positions of marks. A best quality matched prelearned pattern of forces is determined using a user selected function, to calculate a best matching set of the prelearned positions of marks. Identify a pattern of forces acting on the elastically deformable skin based on the determined best matched prelearned pattern of forces.

Abstract: A control system for controlling an operation of an elevator arranged to service different floors of a building, is disclosed. The control system comprises an input interface configured to receive a measurement of a distance metric to an object located at a service floor in a line-of-sight of a sensor; an output interface configured to cause a display device to display a floor value indicating a destination floor; and a processor configured to compare the received distance metric with a referenced distance metric to estimate a sign of the comparison and a value of the comparison; repeatedly update, until a termination condition is met, the floor value displayed on the display device in a direction of the elevator service indicated by the sign and with a frequency of the update indicated by the value; and cause the elevator to perform the service operation from the service floor to the destination floor.

Abstract: A tactile sensor including a cap having a top surface and an undersurface. The undersurface includes pins, each pin has a mark. A portion of the undersurface is attachable to a device. A camera positioned in view of the marks, captures images of the marks placed in motion by elastic deformation of the top surface of the cap. A processor receives the captured images and determines a set of relative positions of the marks in the captured images, by identifying measured image coordinates of locations in images of the captured images. Determine a net force tensor acting on the top surface using a stored machine vision algorithm, by matching the set of relative positions of the marks to a stored set of previously learned relative positions of the marks placed in motion. Control the device via a controller in response to the net force tensor determined in the processor.

Abstract: A multi-input call panel for controlling an operation of an elevator system, is disclosed. The multi-input call panel includes a touchable interface associated with a plurality of touchable inputs arranged at different locations on the multi-input call panel; a touchless interface including a processor configured to receive readings of a sensor detecting motion in proximity to the touchable interface and executing a probabilistic classifier trained to output a probability of correspondence of the received readings with an intention to touch one or multiple touchable inputs from the plurality of touchable inputs; and a controller configured to control the operation of the elevator system according to a control command associated with a touchable input of the plurality of touchable inputs when the touchable input is touched on the touchable interface, the classifier outputs the probability of the intention to touch the touchable input above a threshold or both.

Abstract: A robot for performing an assembly operation is provided. The robot comprises a processor configured to determine a control law for controlling a plurality of motors of the robot to move a robotic arm according to an original trajectory, execute a self-exploration program to produce training data indicative of a space of the original trajectory, and learn, using the training data, a non-linear compliant control law including a non-linear mapping that maps measurements of a force sensor of the robot to a direction of corrections to the original trajectory defining the control law. The processor transforms the original trajectory according to a new goal pose to produce a transformed trajectory, update the control law according to the transformed trajectory to produce the updated control law, and command the plurality of motors to control the robotic arm according to the updated control law corrected with the compliance control law.

Abstract: A soft gripper including tentacles, each tentacle includes lower and upper members connected by a connector. Each member includes guide discs, and each guide disc includes a ring with passthrough holes, and a spacer located in a donut hole of the ring with passthrough holes, the passthrough holes collectively define cable pathways. The connector includes a center thru-hole and transfer channels. Cables have proximal ends attached to actuators and extend through apertures of a baseplate located at a proximal end of the lower member. A set of lower cables extend through the lower ring passthrough holes to couple to a distal lower guide disc. A set of upper cables extend through the lower spacer passthrough holes, through the transfer channels to the upper ring passthrough holes to couple to a distal upper guide ring, and an end cap is attached to the distal end of the upper member.

Abstract: A gripper system having tentacles including a control system configured to receive operator data and sensor data. Compare stored object configurations associated with grips to identify a corresponding set of object configurations using a target object shape and a pose via sensor data and select an object configuration. Compare stored commands to identify sets of commands corresponding to the object configuration and select sets of commands. If a set of pickup actions are received, compare to the corresponding object configuration to identify a set of pickup actions using the received set of pickup actions, and select a set of pickup actions. Compare the sets of commands to identify a corresponding first set of commands corresponding to a set of pickup actions using the set of pickup actions and select the first set of commands. If the received set of pickup actions are absent, then select a second set of commands.

Abstract: Systems and methods having a touchless operating panel with buttons and an electronic circuit (EC). The system including a proximity sensor (PS) associated with an associated button and positioned proximate thereto. The PS arranged to generate a button detection zone around the associated button and detect a presence within the button detection zone. When the PS detects a presence of an object within the button detection zone in a time period, the EC receives proximity values about the detection from the PS. The EC detects if activation of the PS is intentional or unintentional, based on inputting into an activation assessment module, the received proximity values and any other proximity values received from one or more other PSs. When a detection is made that the PS is intentionally activated regarding the presence of the object within the button detection zone. The EC generates and emits a command action.

Abstract: Systems, methods and devices for real-time contactless elevator service operation of an elevator includes a trained neural network (TNN) model. The TNN model is trained using a training processor with augmented datasets as a synthetic training dataset, to later perform elevator identifier recognition. The augmented data sets are generated from synthetic text images, the synthetic text images are augmented with different geometrical parameters and visual parameters to a predetermined number of variations in appearance to a set of training elevator identifiers. A camera captures a user image. A text image portion from the user image is extracted using the TNN model, and detects an elevator identifier in the extracted text image portion using the extracted text image portion and the TNN model. The detected elevator identifier is displayed for user confirmation or user cancellation, and upon user confirmation, generates a control command based the detected elevator identifier associated with an elevator service.

Abstract: A control system for controlling an operation of an elevator arranged to service different floors of a building, is disclosed. The control system comprises an input interface configured to receive a measurement of a distance metric to an object located at a service floor in a line-of-sight of a sensor; an output interface configured to cause a display device to display a floor value indicating a destination floor; and a processor configured to compare the received distance metric with a referenced distance metric to estimate a sign of the comparison and a value of the comparison; repeatedly update, until a termination condition is met, the floor value displayed on the display device in a direction of the elevator service indicated by the sign and with a frequency of the update indicated by the value; and cause the elevator to perform the service operation from the service floor to the destination floor.

Abstract: Resin formulation including: a mixture of low volatility oligomers is about 40% to 75% weight of the resin formulation; a plasticizer is about 25% to 55% by weight of the resin formulation; a photoinitiator is about 0.1% to 3.0% by weight of the resin formulation; a thermal inhibitor is about 0.001% to 4% by weight of the resin formulation; and a defoaming agent is about 0.0001% to 0.1% by weight of the resin formulation. Wherein the mixture of low volatility oligomers is combined with the photoinitiator, the thermal inhibitor and the defoaming agent, and mixed, then degassed at a temperature of about 60 deg C. and at a pressure of less than 10 kPa for at least 10 minutes.

Abstract: A robot gripper includes two fingers of a grasper assembly configured to perform grasping motions via actuation of independent cable ends of a plurality of cables, and configured to move toward or away from each other to perform the grasping motion. Wherein each gripper finger is actuated by a pair of cables, a cable of the pair slides in a flexible sheath when actuated by a motor, moving the gripper finger in an opposite direction of another cable of the pair also in a flexible sheath, providing equal motions of each cable in the pair in opposite directions. A motor assembly including the motors is mounted at a location separate from the grasper assembly with the flexible sheathing extending between the assemblies. Such that the separate assembly mounting arrangement provides an improved ratio between a gripping force of the grippers versus the robot-lifted mass of the grasper assembly.

Abstract: Resin formulation including: a mixture of low volatility oligomers is about 40% to 75% weight of the resin formulation; a plasticizer is about 25% to 55% by weight of the resin formulation; a photoinitiator is about 0.1% to 3.0% by weight of the resin formulation; a thermal inhibitor is about 0.001% to 4% by weight of the resin formulation; and a defoaming agent is about 0.0001% to 0.1% by weight of the resin formulation. Wherein the mixture of low volatility oligomers is combined with the photoinitiator, the thermal inhibitor and the defoaming agent, and mixed, then degassed at a temperature of about 60 deg C. and at a pressure of less than 10 kPa for at least 10 minutes.

Abstract: A tactile sensor including a camera positioned to capture images of marks. An elastically deformable skin including an outer surface having attributes and an undersurface having pins, ridges, or both. Each undersurface pin or ridge includes a mark. A processor detects displacement of the marks in captured images and compares the displaced positions of the marks in the captured images to stored sets of prelearned positions of marks, based on a distance function, to determine a quality of match value for each set of the prelearned positions of marks. A best quality matched prelearned pattern of forces is determined using a user selected function, to calculate a best matching set of the prelearned positions of marks. Identify a pattern of forces acting on the elastically deformable skin based on the determined best matched prelearned pattern of forces.

Abstract: A tactile sensor including a cap having a top surface and an undersurface. The undersurface includes pins, each pin has a mark. A portion of the undersurface is attachable to a device. A camera positioned in view of the marks, captures images of the marks placed in motion by elastic deformation of the top surface of the cap. A processor receives the captured images and determines a set of relative positions of the marks in the captured images, by identifying measured image coordinates of locations in images of the captured images. Determine a net force tensor acting on the top surface using a stored machine vision algorithm, by matching the set of relative positions of the marks to a stored set of previously learned relative positions of the marks placed in motion. Control the device via a controller in response to the net force tensor determined in the processor.

Abstract: Spacecraft including a spacecraft bus. An additive manufacturing system of the spacecraft bus including at least one extruder for delivering feedstock to print an object outside of the spacecraft bus. A sensor for determining a pose of the spacecraft bus relative to an astronomical body. At least one processor in communication with the additive manufacturing system and the sensor, controls an operation of the additive manufacturing system as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus, to manufacture the object outside of the spacecraft bus.

Abstract: A robot gripper, including at least two gripper fingers of a grasper assembly configured to perform grasping motions via actuation of independent cable ends of a plurality of cables, and configured to move toward or away from each other to perform the grasping motion. Wherein each gripper finger is actuated by a pair of cables, a cable of the pair slides in a flexible sheath when actuated by a motor, moving the gripper finger in an opposite direction of an other cable of the pair also in a flexible sheath, providing equal motions of each cable in the pair in opposite directions. A motor assembly including the motors is mounted at a location separate from the grasper assembly with the flexible sheathing extending between the assemblies. Such that the separate assembly mounting arrangement provides an improved ratio between a gripping force of the grippers versus the robot-lifted mass of the grasper assembly.