Abstract: Systems and methods for manufacturing a wavefront-customized contact lens. The systems include: (1) an optical instrument for measuring ocular imperfections of a patient's eye; (2) a computer for designing a mold and pin design used for manufacturing a wavefront-customized contact lens that corrects the ocular imperfections; (3) a fabrication machine for fabricating a wavefront-customized mold that includes corrections for the ocular imperfections; and (4) a manufacturing equipment for manufacturing a wavefront-customized contact lenses that uses the wavefront-customized mold; wherein the wavefront-customized mold design and wavefront-guided contact lens manufacturing are uniquely customized for each patient's eye. The optical means can be a wavefront aberrometer with, or without, a profilometer and/or an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) module. The wavefront-customized contact lens can be a soft contact lens or a rigid, gas permeable contact lens.

Abstract: A method for detecting boxes includes receiving a plurality of image frame pairs for an area of interest including at least one target box. Each image frame pair includes a monocular image frame and a respective depth image frame. For each image frame pair, the method includes determining corners for a rectangle associated with the at least one target box within the respective monocular image frame. Based on the determined corners, the method includes the following: performing edge detection and determining faces within the respective monocular image frame; and extracting planes corresponding to the at least one target box from the respective depth image frame. The method includes matching the determined faces to the extracted planes and generating a box estimation based on the determined corners, the performed edge detection, and the matched faces of the at least one target box.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining movement of a robot about an environment are provided. A computing system of the robot (i) receives information including a navigation target for the robot and a kinematic state of the robot; (ii) determines, based on the information and a trajectory target for the robot, a retargeted trajectory for the robot; (iii) determines, based on the retargeted trajectory, a centroidal trajectory for the robot and a kinematic trajectory for the robot consistent with the centroidal trajectory; and (iv) determines, based on the centroidal trajectory and the kinematic trajectory, a set of vectors having a vector for each of one or more joints of the robot.

Abstract: A turning controller for a vehicle is configured to execute: a time obtaining process that obtains collision prediction time; a lateral movement amount determining process that determines whether a target lateral movement amount is greater than or equal to a lateral movement amount determination value; and an automatic turning process that, in a case in which the collision prediction time is shorter than or equal to a determination prediction time, outputs a command for steering the front wheel to the front wheel steering device and outputs a command for steering the rear wheel to the rear wheel steering device, in order to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle; a counter-phase process in the automatic turning process in a case in which the target lateral movement amount is determined to be greater than or equal to the lateral movement amount determination value.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to tracking abdominal orientation and activity for purposes of preventing or treating conditions of pregnancy, respiratory diseases or other types of medical conditions. In certain specific embodiments, the system, device, or method relates to identifying abdominal or sleep position orientation risk values, calculating and updating a cumulative risk value, comparing the cumulative risk value to a threshold, and outputting a warning when the cumulative risk value crosses the threshold.

Abstract: A speed reducer including: an input shaft; a first barrel cam; a first output table; an intermediate shaft; a second cam; and a second output table, in the first output table, the plurality of first cam followers being provided concentrically around a rotation center position of the intermediate shaft, concerning a certain first cam follower among the plurality of first cam followers, when a center position of the certain first cam follower when the certain first cam follower has been moved to a farthest end on one side in the up-down direction is defined as a reference position, a center position of the first barrel cam being shifted to another side in the up-down direction with respect to the reference position, an engagement center position in the front-rear direction between an engagement start position and an engagement end position being shifted either of forward and rearward with respect to the reference position.

Abstract: A building structure including a plurality of elements extending from a ground surface with at least a first of the elements connected to a second of the elements by a coupling member, the coupling member including a damping element for damping vibrations in the building structure and a means for limiting the deformation of the damping element when the relative movement exceeds a maximum displacement at which damage occurs to the damping element.

Abstract: A dynamic temperature regulating device is for use in association with a temperature-controlled container. The dynamic temperature regulating device includes at least one heat source, at least one heat sink, a heat transfer medium and a control system. At least one of the heat source and the heat sink is a PCM (phase change material). The heat transfer medium is in thermal communication with and operably connected to the at least one heat source and the at least one heat sink. The control system is for controlling the selective thermal communication with the at least one heat source and with the at least one heat sink to regulate the temperature of the temperature-controlled container. A detachable PCM contained volumes includes a sealed housing, a phase change material and a heat transfer medium and functions as a PCM thermal energy storage volume.

Abstract: A suspended aerial vehicle system includes an aerial vehicle with a thruster assembly and a supporting line attached to the aerial vehicle that is capable of supporting at least some of the weight of the aerial vehicle. The supporting line may have an adjustable length which when varied, and in coordination with variations in a thrust characteristic of the aerial vehicle, may change the position of the aerial vehicle. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A method for palletizing by a robot includes positioning an object at an initial position adjacent to a target object location, tilting the object at an angle relative to a ground plane, shifting the object in a first direction from the initial position toward a first alignment position, shifting the object in a second direction from the first alignment position toward a second alignment position, and releasing the object from the robot to pivot the object toward the target object location.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for generating a new anatomy use a processor to obtain a skin mesh of the new anatomy that is in correspondence with a skin mesh of a template anatomy; after obtaining the skin mesh, transfer a fascia mesh of the template anatomy to the new anatomy; and after the fascia mesh is transferred, generate a fat displacement field defining fat of the new anatomy. The displacement field includes multi-dimensional displacement vectors, and each of the displacement vectors relates a vertex of the skin mesh of the new anatomy to a corresponding vertex of the fascia mesh of the new anatomy. A new anatomy may also be generated by interpolating from anatomies in a database.

Abstract: An example robot includes a hydraulic actuator cylinder controlling motion of a member of the robot. The hydraulic actuator cylinder comprises a piston, a first chamber, and a second chamber. A valve system controls hydraulic fluid flow between a hydraulic supply line of pressurized hydraulic fluid, the first and second chambers, and a return line. A controller may provide a first signal to the valve system so as to begin moving the piston based on a trajectory comprising moving in a forward direction, stopping, and moving in a reverse direction. The controller may provide a second signal to the valve system so as to cause the piston to override the trajectory as it moves in the forward direction and stop at a given position, and then provide a third signal to the valve system so as to resume moving the piston in the reverse direction based on the trajectory.

Abstract: A method for calibrating a position measurement system includes receiving measurement data from the position measurement system and determining that the measurement data includes periodic distortion data. The position measurement system includes a nonius track and a master track. The method also includes modifying the measurement data by decomposing the periodic distortion data into periodic components and removing the periodic components from the measurement data.

Abstract: A method for online authoring of robot autonomy applications includes receiving sensor data of an environment about a robot while the robot traverses through the environment. The method also includes generating an environmental map representative of the environment about the robot based on the received sensor data. While generating the environmental map, the method includes localizing a current position of the robot within the environmental map and, at each corresponding target location of one or more target locations within the environment, recording a respective action for the robot to perform. The method also includes generating a behavior tree for navigating the robot to each corresponding target location and controlling the robot to perform the respective action at each corresponding target location within the environment during a future mission when the current position of the robot within the environmental map reaches the corresponding target location.

Abstract: An approach for counting particles suspended in a flow of gas or liquid in instruments that direct the flow through an illuminated region. Pulses are detected when the signal is below a threshold amplitude and moves above the threshold amplitude. This movement above the threshold creates a dead time during which only one pulse is detected until the signal amplitude moves sufficiently below the threshold such that a subsequent particle creates a distinct pulse. After counting the number of pulses, and determining the measured live time that the signal is below the threshold value, an initial particle concentration is calculated, and the calculation corrected for coincidence by calculating an actual live time as a measured live time minus a constant multiplied by the number of distinctly counted pulses, where the constant has the units of time. From this, particle concentrations in a volume can be determined.

Abstract: A fluid-management system for selectively draining fluid from a body cavity includes a valve assembly and a tube for carrying fluid from a body cavity of a person to the valve assembly. The valve assembly is configured to be positioned external to the person's body and comprises (i) an inlet, (ii) an outlet, (iii) one or more one-way valves positioned between the inlet and outlet that are each configured to open and close based on fluctuations in pressure between the person's body cavity and the one-way valve, and (iv) an adjustable outlet lock configured to selectively prevent fluid movement through the outlet.

Abstract: An example implementation involves receiving measurements from an inertial sensor coupled to the robot and detecting an occurrence of a foot of the legged robot making contact with a surface. The implementation also involves reducing a gain value of an amplifier from a nominal value to a reduced value upon detecting the occurrence. The amplifier receives the measurements from the inertial sensor and provides a modulated output based on the gain value. The implementation further involves increasing the gain value from the reduced value to the nominal value over a predetermined duration of time after detecting the occurrence. The gain value is increased according to a profile indicative of a manner in which to increase the gain value of the predetermined duration of time. The implementation also involves controlling at least one actuator of the legged robot based on the modulated output during the predetermined duration of time.

Abstract: A method for generating intermediate waypoints for a navigation system of a robot includes receiving a navigation route. The navigation route includes a series of high-level waypoints that begin at a starting location and end at a destination location and is based on high-level navigation data. The high-level navigation data is representative of locations of static obstacles in an area the robot is to navigate. The method also includes receiving image data of an environment about the robot from an image sensor and generating at least one intermediate waypoint based on the image data. The method also includes adding the at least one intermediate waypoint to the series of high-level waypoints of the navigation route and navigating the robot from the starting location along the series of high-level waypoints and the at least one intermediate waypoint toward the destination location.

Abstract: A controller computes availability of the vehicle that indicates a range reachable by the vehicle by actuation of the actuator and generates a first travel route within a range of the availability of the vehicle, as a travel route followed by the vehicle, when the vehicle travels along a road ahead of the vehicle from a present position. When the road includes a curve and the first travel route cannot be generated within the availability range, the controller sets a target position to a position in the road located before the curve and generates a second travel route within the availability range, as the travel route followed by the vehicle, to stop the vehicle at the target position.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques to undo a portion of a mission recording of a robot by physically moving the robot back through the mission recording in reverse. As a result, after the undo process is completed, the robot is positioned at an earlier point in the mission and the user can continue to record further mission data from that point. The portion of the mission recording that was performed in reverse can be omitted from subsequent performance of the mission, for example by deleting that portion from the mission recording or otherwise marking that portion as inactive. In this manner, the mistake in the initial mission recording is not retained, but the robot need not perform the entire mission recording again.