Abstract: A method is disclosed for using robots to move items from one container to another. The method includes positioning a source container under a suction robot having two degrees of freedom only, the suction robot having a flexible suction end having a variable suction component that can cause suction to occur within the suction end upon contact with an item in the source container. The contact can be non-orthogonal of an end of the flexible suction and a surface of the item. The robot retrieves the item from the source container with the flexible suction end by lowering the flexible suction end into the source container to retrieve the item and lifts the retrieved item from the source container. The robot then moves the retrieved item horizontally from the source container to a destination container.

Abstract: Inspection robots with center encoders are described. An example inspection robot may have a housing, and a drive module, where the drive module has a wheel and a motor and is operatively coupled to the housing. The example inspection robot may also have an encoder to provide a movement value, where the encoder is positioned within a footprint of the housing. The example inspection robot may also have a controller with an encoder conversion circuit to calculate a distance value in response to the movement value, a location circuit to determine at least one of a robot location value or a robot speed value, and a position command circuit to provide a position action command in response to the robot location value or the robot speed value. The drive module may be responsive to the position action command to move the inspection robot.

Abstract: High precision end effectors for robots and adapters that provide attachment of the end effectors to a variety of robotic arms are disclosed. The combination provides for harmless break-away of the end effector on collision, and autonomous tool changer capability for mobile robots.

Abstract: Systems and methods of unmanned vehicles having self-calibrating sensors and actuators are provided. The unmanned vehicle comprises a communication interface and a processor for controlling a propulsion system of the vehicle and receiving sensor data from one or more sensors of the vehicle. The processor is configured to operate in a guided calibration mode by controlling the propulsion system according to commands received from an external guided control system, while processing the sensor data to determine a degree of certainty on a calibration the sensor data and a position of the vehicle. The processor determines that the degree of certainty is above a threshold value associated with safe operation of the propulsion system in an autonomous calibration mode, and subsequently switch operation of the propulsion system to the autonomous calibration mode based on the determination that the degree of certainty is above the threshold value.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for automatic infusion of concentrate and distillate material into cigarettes or other containers. In one embodiment, a thermally-controlled infusion system is provided. The system can maintain a selected temperature of the concentrate material throughout the infusion process, using a two-stage approach. In a first stage, the concentrate material is pressure-fed to a dosing chamber. In the second stage, the concentrate material is pumped into an insertion cannula and into a cigarette or container. A revolver houses the cigarettes or containers and vertically transitions them to an insertion position, where the insertion cannula can infuse the cigarettes or containers.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems and methods for controlling a vehicle by teleoperation based on a speed limiter. The method may include: receiving, at the autonomous vehicle, a teleoperation input from a teleoperation system, wherein the teleoperation input comprises a throttle control input for remotely controlling a speed of the autonomous vehicle; determining the speed of the autonomous vehicle; determining if the speed of the autonomous vehicle has reached a threshold speed below a speed limit; and upon determining that the speed of the autonomous vehicle has reached the threshold speed, reducing effect of the throttle control input from the teleoperation system such that an acceleration rate of the speed of the autonomous vehicle is reduced.

Abstract: One variation of a method for autonomously scanning and processing a part includes: accessing a part model representing a part positioned in a work zone adjacent a robotic system; retrieving a sanding head translation speed; retrieving a toolpath for execution on the part defining positions, orientations, and target forces applied by the sanding head to the part. The method includes traversing the sanding head along the toolpath, at the sanding head translation speed; reading a sequence of applied forces from a force sensor coupled to the sanding head at positions along the toolpath; and deviating from the toolpath to maintain the set of applied forces within a threshold difference of a sequence of target forces along the toolpath. In one variation of the method, the robotic system executes a toolpath at a duration less than target duration by selectively varying target force and sanding head translation speed across the part.

Abstract: Systems and methods for updating an electronic map of a facility are disclosed. The electronic map includes a set of map nodes. Each map node has a stored image data associated with a position within the facility. The method includes collecting image data at a current position of a self-driving material-transport vehicle; searching the electronic map for at least one of a map node associated with the current position and one or more neighboring map nodes within a neighbor threshold to the current position; comparing the collected image data with the stored image data of the at least one of the map node and the one or more neighboring map nodes to determine a dissimilarity level. The electronic map may be updated based at least on the collected image data and the dissimilarity level. The image data represents one or more features observable from the current position.

Abstract: One variation of a method for deploying a mobile robotic system to scan inventory structures within a store includes: dispatching the mobile robotic system to navigate along inventory structures within the store during a setup cycle; at the mobile robotic system, while navigating along the inventory structures during the setup cycle, capturing a set of wireless connectivity metrics representing connectivity to a first wireless network; assembling the set of wireless connectivity metrics into a wireless connectivity map of the store; estimating a processing duration from start of the scan cycle to transformation of images of the inventory structures, captured by the mobile robotic system, into a stock condition of the store; and dispatching the mobile robotic system to autonomously capture images of the inventory structures within the store during a scan cycle preceding a scheduled restocking period in the store based on the processing duration.

Abstract: An example inspection robot may include a drive module structured to engage a top tube of a vertically arranged layer of tubes, at least one telescoping pole, and a lowering mechanism operationally coupled to the at least one telescoping pole and structured to selectively extend or retract the at least one telescoping pole, thereby providing a selected vertical position of a sensor carriage assembly. The sensor carriage assembly may be coupled to the at least one telescoping pole, and structured to accept at least one of a plurality of sensors.

Abstract: A system includes an article supply location, wherein the article supply location includes a plurality of articles to be sorted, first and second transport vehicles, each having a first position in which an article is stowed about the vehicle and a second position in which the article is deposited into a proximal container. And a control system. The control system is configured to receive an order for a plurality of disparate articles, determine one destination container of a plurality of destination containers to direct the transport vehicle to deposit a selected article, direct the first transport vehicle to transport a selected article to the destination container and deposit the article by manipulation of the first transport vehicle from the first position to the second position for deposit of the selected article in the destination container.

Abstract: A transmission includes a housing having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a carrier mounted to the housing, an input shaft, an output shaft, a passage that extends from the housings first end to the housings second end to allow a via through the housing, an input sensor, and an output sensor. The carrier has a first side that faces in a first direction, and a second side that faces in a direction other than the first direction. The input sensor is mounted to the carrier and disposed on the first side of the carrier. The output sensor is mounted to the same carrier and disposed on the carrier's second side. The input and output shafts rotate about the same axis.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems and methods for controlling a vehicle by teleoperations based on map creation. The method may include: receiving sensor data from one or more sensors on the autonomous vehicle through a communication link, wherein the sensor data comprises environmental data associated with a physical environment of the autonomous vehicle and operation data comprising an existing trajectory of the autonomous vehicle; transforming the sensor data into visualization data configured to represent the physical environment of the autonomous vehicle on a visualization interface; generating updated map data comprising a modification to the least the portion of the existing trajectory; and transmitting to the autonomous vehicle a teleoperation input comprising the updated map data.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems and methods for controlling a vehicle by teleoperations based on map creation.

Abstract: In various examples, a computer-implemented method of generating instructions for a welding robot. The computer-implemented method comprises identifying an expected position of a candidate seam on a part to be welded based on a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model of the part, scanning a workspace containing the part to produce a representation of the part, identifying the candidate seam on the part based on the representation of the part and the expected position of the candidate seam, determining an actual position of the candidate seam, and generating welding instructions for the welding robot based at least in part on the actual position of the candidate seam.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems and methods for controlling a vehicle by teleoperations based on map creation. The method may include: receiving, at the autonomous vehicle, a teleoperation input from a teleoperation system through a communication link, wherein the teleoperation input comprises a modification to at least a portion of an existing trajectory of the autonomous vehicle; generating an updated map data based on the received teleoperation input from the teleoperation system, wherein the updated map data comprises the modification to the least the portion of the existing trajectory; determining a modified trajectory or a new trajectory for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the updated map data; and controlling the autonomous vehicle according to the modified trajectory or the new trajectory.

Abstract: Systems and methods of manipulating/controlling robots. In many scenarios, data collected by a sensor (connected to a robot) may not have very high precision (e.g., a regular commercial/inexpensive sensor) or may be subjected to dynamic environmental changes. Thus, the data collected by the sensor may not indicate the parameter captured by the sensor with high accuracy. The present robotic control system is directed at such scenarios. In some embodiments, the disclosed embodiments can be used for computing a sliding velocity limit boundary for a spatial controller. In some embodiments, the disclosed embodiments can be used for teleoperation of a vehicle located in the field of view of a camera.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a sensing system that employs beams to scan paths across an object such that sensors may the beams reflected by the scanned object. Events may be provided based on the detected signals and the paths such that each event may be associated with a sensor and event metrics. Crossing points for each sensor may be determined based on where the paths intersect the scanned object such that events associated with each sensor are associated with the crossing points for each sensor. Each crossing point of each sensor may be compared to each correspondent crossing point of each other sensor. actual crossing points may be determined based on the comparison and the crossing points for each sensor. Position information for each sensor may be determined based on the actual crossing points.

Abstract: A method includes, during a processing cycle: navigating the sanding head across a region of a workpiece according to a toolpath; and, based on a sequence of force values output by a force sensor coupled to the sanding head, deviating the sanding head from the toolpath to maintain forces of the sanding head on the workpiece region proximal a target force. The method also includes: detecting a sequence of positions of the sanding head traversing the workpiece region; interpreting a surface contour in the workpiece region based on the sequence of positions; detecting a difference between the surface contour and a corresponding target surface defined in a target model of the workpiece; generating a second toolpath for the workpiece region based on the difference; and, during a second processing cycle, navigating the sanding head across the workpiece region according to the second toolpath to reduce the difference.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for generating a map for a robot, the method comprising the steps of: acquiring a raw map associated with a task of the robot; identifying pixels estimated to be a moving obstacle in the raw map, on the basis of at least one of colors of pixels specified in the raw map and sizes of areas associated with the pixels; and performing dilation and erosion operations on the pixels estimated to be the moving obstacle, and determining a polygon-based contour of the moving obstacle.