Abstract: Aspects of an autonomous delivery transportation network for the delivery of items are described. The network includes a central management system that directs the operation of a network of vehicles for delivering items. In one embodiment, the system receives a request for transportation including a pickup location, a delivery location, and item attribute data. The system analyzes the existing service routes of vehicles in the network to identify a vehicle compatible with the request. The system also estimates a delay to the existing service route of the vehicle with reference to the pickup and delivery locations and, when determining that the delay is acceptable, assigns the vehicle to service the request. When determining that the delay is unacceptable, the system may dispatch a new vehicle to join the network. The system may also communicate various aspects of service, such as estimated pickup and/or drop off times, to client devices.

Abstract: Control planes of virtual resource providers may be customized in a secure, stable and efficient manner with virtual control planes. Control planes may be modularized. Control plane modules may be supplied with data from standardized sensors, and required to generate standardized resource configuration requests responsive to solicitations with specified response latencies. Custom control plane modules may be selected to replace or complement default control plane modules. Financial and computational costs associated with control plane modules may be tracked. Competing resource configurations may be mediated by a control plane supervisor. Such mediation may be based on control plane module reputation scores. Reputation scores may be based on customer feedback ratings and/or measured performance with respect to module goals. Mediated configuration parameter values may be based on a combination of competing configuration parameter values weighted according to reputation.

Abstract: The following description is directed to monitoring an interconnection network. In one embodiment, a method of monitoring an internal link of an interconnection network can comprise creating a network packet. The network packet can comprise a data-link-layer destination address corresponding to a management interface of a first router of the interconnection network, and a network-layer destination address corresponding to a host computer. The network-layer destination address can be within a subnet associated with a management interface of a second different router of the interconnection network. The internal link can connect the first router and the second router. The method can further comprise transmitting the network packet from the host computer, and determining one or more performance metrics of the internal link based, at least in part, on whether the network packet is received at the host computer.

Abstract: Erasure encoded fragments are originally generated by applying an erasure encoding scheme to a data file. An erasure encoded fragment is subsequently generated directly from previously generated erasure encoded fragments or by reconstructing the original data file and then erasure encoding the reconstructed data file. The integrity or fidelity of such a subsequently generated erasure encoded fragment is verified by newly generating an error detection code, such as but not limited to a checksum, for the subsequently generated erasure encoded fragment, and comparing that subsequently error detection code against an error detection code previously generated for a previous or original version of the erasure encoded fragment. Each error detection code is preferably stored in association with its corresponding erasure encoded fragment and with one or more other erasure encoded fragments. Thus, each error detection code is saved in at least two locations.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for implementing a computerized garment photography system are described. A garment is placed on an exterior surface of the mannequin. The mannequin is controllable to assume a series of size combinations via one or more moveable portions of the robotic mannequin. One or more image capture devices capture a plurality of images of the mannequin as the mannequin assumes the size combinations. A fit adjustment mechanism adjusts a placement of the garment on the exterior surface of the mannequin during the automated photography process.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for assignment and switching of content sources for a streaming content session are described. Embodiments may include the generation and use of content source rankings for improving playback quality of content streams. In embodiments, a merchant system may collect and aggregate multiple quality metrics for different content streams that various content sources provide to various clients. The merchant system may utilize the quality metrics to generate rankings of content sources for clients. The merchant system may provide such rankings to clients to improve the content stream playback experience on the client. For instance, at content acquisition time, a client may request a content stream from a content resource ranked highest on a content source ranking provided by the merchant. If the content stream degrades, the client may source subsequent portions of the content stream from another highly ranked content source of the ranking.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a semaphore mechanism in a distributed computing environment are disclosed. A state manager coordinating accesses to objects from distributed clients implements programmatic interfaces for semaphore operations. A client process submits a permit record directed to a semaphore instance protecting a shared resource. The client process receives a representation of permit records associated with the resource. The permit records provide an indication of an order in which permit requests for the resource were processed. The client process uses the permit records to determine whether it has been granted a permit, and if it determines that the permit has been granted, performs operations on the resource.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for relating individual items to categories of items purchased concurrently by a customer. A representative category may be assigned to each of the items offered for sale by an online merchant. Purchase history data containing information regarding each item purchased by a customer on a specific date is augmented with information regarding each representative category of items from which an item was purchased by the customer on the same date. From the purchase history data, an attach rate is calculated between each particular item and a number of representative categories indicating the frequency of concurrency of purchase of the particular item with items assigned to the representative category. A user interface may then be generated containing the attach rates between the particular item and the representative categories and sent to a customer computer for display to the customer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for equitable distribution of excess shared-resource throughput capacity are disclosed. A first and a second work target are configured to access a shared resource to implement accepted work requests. Admission control is managed at the work targets using respective token buckets. A first metric indicative of the work request arrival rates at the work targets during a time interval, and a second metric associated with the provisioned capacities of the work targets are determined. A number of tokens determined based on a throughput limit of the shared resource is distributed among the work targets to be used for admission control during a subsequent time interval. The number of tokens distributed to each work target is based on the first metric and/or the second metric.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for an item preparation application. Business logic and machine learning may be applied to attributes of an item to generate a recommendation for item preparation prior to storage in a physical storage facility. The recommendation may indicate whether preparation is to be applied, or what type of preparation is required. A machine learning knowledge base may be updated based on feedback or overrides of recommendations.

Abstract: An inventory system includes inventory holders, container holders, containers carried by the container holders, mobile drive units, stations, and a management module. The management module instructs the mobile drive units to move the inventory holders and container holders to stations. Container holders are loaded with containers of inbound inventory items at a first station. Inbound inventory items are transferred from containers to inventory holders at a second station. Outbound inventory items are transferred from inventory holders to containers at a third station. Containers of outbound inventory items are removed from container holders at a fourth station.

Abstract: A device may participate in a shared data state in which editing operations performed locally are distributed and synchronized with other devices participating in the shared data state. Data may be maintained in log-structured storage files on each device. Changes made locally may be represented by change descriptors conditionally appended to the end of a log. The size of the log may be monotonically increasing. Monotonically increasing identifiers may be used to implicitly or explicitly identify change descriptors. Upon conflict resolution, conditionally appended change descriptors may be committed. Non-committed change descriptors may be conditionally reappended to the end of the log for further conflict resolution.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a system and method for operating an automated aerial vehicle wherein the battery life may be extended by performing one or more electricity generation procedures on the way to a destination (e.g., a delivery location for an item). In various implementations, the electricity generation procedure may include utilizing an airflow to rotate one or more of the propellers of the automated aerial vehicle so that the associated propeller motors will generate electricity (e.g., which can be utilized to recharge the battery, power one or more sensors of the automated aerial vehicle, etc.). In various implementations, the airflow may consist of a wind, or may be created by the kinetic energy of the automated aerial vehicle as it moves through the air (e.g., as part of a normal flight path and/or as part of an aerial maneuver).

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) that transitions in-flight between vertical flight configuration and horizontal flight configuration by changing an orientation of the UAV by approximately ninety degrees. The UAV may include propulsion units that are coupled to a wing. The wing may include wing segments rotatably coupled together by pivots that rotate to position the propulsion units around a center of mass of the UAV when the fuselage is oriented perpendicular with the horizon. In this vertical flight configuration, the UAV may perform vertical flight or hover. During the vertical flight, the UAV may cause the wing to extend outward via the pivots such that the wing segments become positioned substantially parallel to one another and the wing resembles a conventional fixed wing. With the wing extended, the UAV assumes a horizontal flight configuration that provides upward lift generated from the wing.

Abstract: Techniques for providing a removable and reusable tracking device feature in an inventory management system may be described. For example, an inventory transfer request may be received for transferring inventory within a facility. A first indication may be received that indicates one or more reusable tracking devices are associated with the inventory included in the inventory transfer request. Information about the inventory transfer request may be mapped to the association of the one or more reusable tracking devices and the inventory. In an embodiment, a location of the inventory may be determined based on location information provided by the associated one or more reusable tracking devices. The mapping between the inventory transfer information to the one or more reusable tracking devices and the inventory may be removed based at least in part on the location information indicating that the inventory is located at a particular location within the facility.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a system and method for determining the center of gravity of a payload engaged by an automated aerial vehicle and adjusting components of the automated aerial vehicle and/or the engagement location with the payload so that the center of gravity of the payload is within a defined position with respect to the center of gravity of the automated aerial vehicle. Adjusting the center of gravity to be within a defined position improves the efficiency, maneuverability and safety of the automated aerial vehicle. In some implementations, the stability of the payload may also be determined to ensure that the center of gravity does not change or shift during transport due to movement of an item of the payload.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for generating an image-based color palette based on a color image. A color palette can be a collection of representative colors each associated with a weight or other metadata. A color palette may be generated based on palette generation criteria, which may facilitate or control a palette generation process. Illustratively, the palette generation process may include image pre-processing, color distribution generation, representative color identification, palette candidate generation and palette determination. Representative colors with associated weight can be identified from a distribution of colors depicted by the color image, multiple palette candidates corresponding to the same color image can be generated based on various palette generation criteria, and a color palette can be identified therefrom.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed which facilitate monitoring of usage information associated with services implemented within a hosted computing environment. Providers of a service, or other authorized parties, may be enabled to associate one or more descriptors with a service. Thereafter, each service instances may be monitored for such descriptors. By correlating usage information of instances with specific descriptors, usage information for the descriptor may be generated. In some instances, usage information corresponding to a descriptor may be utilized to monitor license agreements associated with services including the descriptor. Further, use of descriptors may reduce or eliminate the need to associate services with physical attributes of hosting computing devices, such as media access control addresses.

Abstract: A speech-based system includes an audio device in a user premises and a network-based service that supports use of the audio device by multiple applications. The audio device may be directed to play audio content such as music, audio books, etc. The audio device may also be directed to interact with a user through speech. The network-based service monitors event messages received from the audio device to determine which of the multiple applications currently has speech focus. When receiving speech from a user, the service first offers the corresponding meaning to the application, if any, that currently has primary speech focus. If there is no application that currently has primary speech focus, or if the application having primary speech focus is not able to respond to the meaning, the service then offers the user meaning to the application that currently has secondary speech focus.

Abstract: Subject matter disclosed herein relates to arrangements and techniques that provide for harvesting thermal energy within a display, for example an electrowetting display, of an image display apparatus and converting the thermal energy into electricity. The electrowetting display comprises a first substrate and a second substrate opposite to the first substrate, a plurality of pixel portions defined between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a hydrophobic surface on the first substrate. A first fluid is included within the pixel portions and on the hydrophobic surface, while a second fluid is included on the first fluid, wherein the second fluid is substantially immiscible with the first fluid. A pyroelectric layer is included between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the pyroelectric layer is configured to absorb thermal energy within the electrowetting display and output a voltage based upon the thermal energy.