Abstract: A method for operating a multi-agent system including multiple robots. Each robot cyclically carries out the following: starting from an instantaneous system state, ascertaining possible options, the options defining actions via which a transition from an instantaneous system state to a subsequent system state may be achieved; for each possible option, ascertaining action costs for carrying out an action indicated by the option; carrying out an auction, the action cost values ascertained for each option being taken into account by each of the other robots; and executing an action that corresponds to one of the options as a function of all cost values ascertained or received for the option in question, the action costs for an option taking into account an empirical parameter that is a function of costs for past actions, which have already been carried out and which are associated with the option, of the multiple robots.

Abstract: A robotic line kitting system is disclosed. In various embodiments, a signal associated with an unsafe condition is received via a communication interface. In response to the signal, a controlled operation to reduce a speed of movement of a robotic instrumentality is performed prior to a safety stop of the robotic instrumentality being triggered.

Abstract: An animal feeding system includes a feed storage container having an interior area for animal feed; an outlet attached to the feed storage container at a first end and extending to a second end to allow the animal feed to flow therethrough via gravity to the second end; an access device attached at the second end of the outlet; a motor in electrical communication with the access device to open and close the access device to provide and remove access to the animal feed; and a control system in electrical communication with the motor to send commands to the motor, the control system having a programmable chip; and a sensor suite, the sensor suite collecting information to provide to the programmable chip; the programmable chip operates a timer based on the information from the sensor suite to open and close the access device; a data log is created.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling a robot arm with an end effector for packing workpieces in a box-shaped open container with a bottom wall and at least one side wall, an inner surface of the at least one side wall being covered with a contact prevention sheet having an indefinite shape, a controller determines whether a packing position of a selected workpiece in the box-shaped open container is adjacent to the inner surface of the at least one side wall of the container. The controller instructs the robot arm to move the selected workpiece picked up by the end effector downward while preventing the picked-up workpiece from entering a predetermined safety zone in response to determination that the specified packing position in the box-shaped open container is adjacent to the inner surface of the at least one side wall of the container.

Abstract: A vehicle collision avoidance assist apparatus executes a steering avoidance control of setting an avoidance route for avoiding the collision of the own vehicle with the object in a lane in which the own vehicle moves and executing an avoiding steering process of forcibly steering the own vehicle so as to move the own vehicle along the avoidance route when an index value representing a probability of collision of an own vehicle with an object ahead of the own vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined index value. The apparatus stops an execution of the steering avoidance control when a departing amount of the own vehicle from the avoidance route becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined departing amount while the electronic control unit executes the steering avoidance control. The predetermined departing amount is set for each of sections of the avoidance route.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, apparatus, and computer program product for managing an autonomous aerial vehicle. A copy of a mission plan is stored in a mission work queue. The mission plan is located in the autonomous aerial vehicle and comprises mission components that define tasks performed by the autonomous aerial vehicle. A change to the mission components in the copy of the mission plan in the mission work queue is received to form a modified mission component in the copy of the mission plan. A determination is made as to whether the copy of the mission plan including the modified mission component can be executed by the autonomous aerial vehicle. The copy of the mission plan including the modified mission component is synchronized with the mission plan in the autonomous aerial vehicle such that the mission plan includes the modified mission component. The autonomous aerial vehicle executes the mission plan.

Abstract: Provided is art capable of recognizing the states of a plurality of target objects arranged in a prescribed space region. This target object recognition device is provided with: a plurality of calculation processing units (21, 22) which each calculate the attitude state of a target object in a prescribed space region using a different technique; a state recognition unit (23) which recognizes the layout state of all of a plurality of target objects arranged in the space region; a method determination unit (24) which, in accordance with the result of the recognition by the state recognition unit (23), determines a method for using the results of the calculation performed by the calculation processing units (21, 22); and a target object recognition unit (25) which recognizes the attitude states of the target objects by means of the determined method for using the results of the calculation.

Abstract: Provided is a globally optimal robot visual positioning method and device based on point-line features. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a priori three-dimensional map of a current scene constructed in advance; acquiring a current image of the robot and the inertial measurement data; calculating a pitch angle and a roll angle of the current robot pose according to the current inertial sensor data and the inertial sensor data in the priori map; matching the two-dimensional point-line features detected in the current image with three-dimensional point-line features in a priori map; separating the rotation and translation of the pose to be solved according to the matched feature pairs, solving the rotation and then solving the translation so as to complete the dimensionality reduction of the search space.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining a motion trajectory for a mobile robot based on an occupancy prior indicating probabilities of presence of dynamic objects and/or individuals in a map of an environment. Occupancy priors are determined by a reward function defined by reward function parameters. The determining of the reward function parameters includes: providing semantic maps; providing training trajectories for each of semantic maps; computing a gradient as a difference between an expected mean feature count and an empirical mean feature count depending on each of the semantic maps and on each of the training trajectories, the empirical mean feature count is the average number of features accumulated over the provided training trajectories of the semantic maps, wherein the expected mean feature count is the average number of features accumulated by trajectories generated depending on the current reward function parameters; and updating the reward function parameters depending on the gradient.

Abstract: A method includes maneuvering a robot in (i) a following mode in which the robot is controlled to travel along a path segment adjacent an obstacle, while recording data indicative of the path segment, and (ii) in a coverage mode in which the robot is controlled to traverse an area. The method includes generating data indicative of a layout of the area, updating data indicative of a calculated robot pose based at least on odometry, and calculating a pose confidence level. The method includes, in response to the confidence level being below a confidence limit, maneuvering the robot to a suspected location of the path segment, based on the calculated robot pose and the data indicative of the layout and, in response to detecting the path segment within a distance from the suspected location, updating the data indicative of the calculated pose and/or the layout.

Abstract: A lateral position of a vehicle is estimated by collating a position of a lane division line in map data with a relative position of the lane division line with respect to the vehicle indicated by a recognition result by a peripheral monitoring sensor. The lateral position of the vehicle is precluded from being specified using the estimated lateral position of the vehicle in response to a lateral deviation between (i) a position of a landmark in the map data and (ii) a translated landmark position being equal to or greater than a first threshold value. The translated landmark position is a position on map deviated from the estimated lateral position of the vehicle assumed to be the lateral position of the vehicle on map by a relative position of the landmark with respect to the vehicle indicated by the recognition result by the peripheral monitoring sensor.

Abstract: A robot controlling method includes following operations. A depth image is obtained by the depth camera. A processing circuit receives the depth image and obtains an obstacle parameter of an obstacle and a tool parameter of a tool according to the depth image. The tool is set on the end of a robot. The processing circuit obtains a distance vector between the end and the obstacle parameter. The processing circuit obtains a first endpoint vector and a second endpoint vector between the tool parameter and the obstacle parameter. The processing circuit establishes a virtual torque according to the distance vector, the first endpoint vector, and the second endpoint vector. The processing circuit outputs control signal to the robot according to the tool parameter, the obstacle parameter and the virtual torque to drive the robot to move or rotate the tool to a target.

Abstract: Systems and methods for minimally invasive procedures include a computer-assisted system comprising a manipulator assembly configured to couple to a cannula and a controller coupled to the manipulator assembly. The cannula has a lumen configured to receive a shaft of an instrument. The controller is configured to position a remote center of motion for the manipulator assembly at a first location relative to the cannula, and in response to an indication to reposition the remote center of motion relative to the cannula, reposition the remote center of motion to a second location relative to the cannula while constraining the second location to be located along the cannula. The second location is different from the first location.

Abstract: A feature-guided scanning trajectory optimization method for a 3D measurement robot, including: building a 3D digital model of an aircraft surface; obtaining a size of the 3D digital model; extracting features to be measured; classifying the features to be measured; calculating a geometric parameter of each type of features to be measured; generating an initial scanning trajectory of each type of features to be measured; building a constraint model of the 3D measurement robot; optimizing the initial scanning trajectory into a local optimal scanning trajectory; and planning a global optimal scanning trajectory of each type of features to be measured on the aircraft surface by using a modified ant colony optimization algorithm.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed comprising a robotic device, an instrument attachable to the robotic device to treat tissue, a vision device attached to the robotic device or instrument, and one or more controllers. The vision device generates vision data sets captured from multiple perspectives of the physical object enabled by the vision device moving in a plurality of degrees of freedom during movement of the robotic device. The controller(s) have at least one processor and are in communication with the vision device. The controller(s) associate a virtual object with the physical object based on one or more features of the physical object identifiable in the vision data sets. The virtual object at least partially defines a virtual boundary defining a constraint on movement of the robotic device relative to the physical object. In some cases, movement of the robotic device is actively constrained by using the virtual boundary.

Abstract: A vehicle movement assist system includes: an external environment sensor unmovably fixed to a vehicle; and a control device configured to acquire the position of an obstacle relative to the vehicle based on a result of detection performed by the external environment sensor and to execute an automatic moving process to autonomously move the vehicle. During execution of the automatic moving process, if the obstacle is detected in a recognition range set by the control device, the control device performs a notification to the driver and/or executes a process including deceleration or stopping of the vehicle. The control device is configured to change the recognition range in accordance with the travel state of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle system includes: a vehicle platform including a first computer that controls traveling of a vehicle; an automated-driving platform including a second computer that controls automated-driving of the vehicle; a first network connecting the vehicle platform and the automated-driving platform; a second network connecting the vehicle platform and the automated-driving platform; a main power supply that supplies electricity required for communication in the first network; a sub-power supply that supplies electricity required for communication in the second network; and a communication interface that allows communication between the vehicle platform and the automated-driving platform to be performed by using any one of the first network and the second network.

Abstract: Robotic systems can be capable of collision detection and avoidance. A robotic medical system can include a robotic arm, an input device configured to receive one or more user inputs for controlling the robotic arm, and a display configured to provide information related to the robotic medical system. The display can include a first icon that is representative of the robotic arm and includes at least a first state and a second state. The robotic medical system can be configured to control movement of the robotic arm based on the user inputs received at the input device in real time, determine a distance between the robotic arm and a component, and provide information to the user about potential, near, and/or actual collisions between the arm and the component.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, when executed by data processing hardware of a robot having an articulated arm and a base, causes data processing hardware to perform operations. The operations include determining a first location of a workspace of the articulated arm associated with a current base configuration of the base of the robot. The operations also include receiving a task request defining a task for the robot to perform outside of the workspace of the articulated arm at the first location. The operations also include generating base parameters associated with the task request. The operations further include instructing, using the generated base parameters, the base of the robot to move from the current base configuration to an anticipatory base configuration.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to use robotic system simulation to control a robotic system. In various embodiments, a communication indicating an action to be performed by a robotic element is received from a robotic control system. Performance of the action by the robotic element is simulated. A state tracking data is updated to reflect a virtual change to one or more state variables as a result of simulated performance of the action. Successful completion of the action by the robotic element is reported to the robotic control system.