Abstract: The systems and methods of the present disclosure provide a path panning algorithm for fixed-wing aerial vehicles that may be employed, particularly for monitoring of long linear infrastructures. The applicants' earlier patent applications address turn angle constraints for fixed wing aerial and maintaining transmission continuity in presence of coverage holes by imposing a plurality of constraints along with storage constraints. The present disclosure addresses a technical challenge of simultaneously meeting multiple objectives; particularly distance cost and communication cost while satisfying the plurality of constraints that enable pruning of feasible paths in a 3D Euclidean navigation space to obtain a set of optimal paths for surveillance of a target under consideration.

Abstract: A robot arm apparatus is provided and includes: an arm unit made up of a plurality of links joined to each other by one or a plurality of a joint unit; and a driving control unit that drives the arm unit by controlling driving of the joint unit. If a malfunction is detected in at least one of the joint unit, the driving control unit controls the driving of the joint unit in a state in which a certain restriction is imposed on motion of the arm unit, and drives the arm unit to avoid the malfunction.

Abstract: A teleoperated system includes a master grip and a ratcheting system coupled to the master grip. The ratcheting system is configured to be coupled to a slave instrument. The ratcheting system is further configured to align the master grip with the slave instrument by determining a commanded angular velocity for the slave instrument based on a command from the master grip, determining a current alignment error between an alignment of the master grip and an alignment of the slave instrument, and altering the commanded angular velocity for the slave instrument based on the current alignment error. In some embodiments, the ratcheting system is further configured to introduce a control system error to alter the commanded angular velocity. In some embodiments, the current alignment error is a rotation angle error between the alignment of the master grip and the alignment of the slave instrument.

Abstract: A method and system for providing improved navigation through interactive suggestion of improve solutions along a path of waypoints includes receiving in a user device a destination for a user. Data associated with the destination is transmitted to a network as well as information correlated to a location of the user. Data associated with at least one modified waypoint for an improved navigation solution is received from the network. The modified waypoints are determined in accordance with a set of parameters. Task and notification information are received from the network.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for generating and utilizing non-uniform volume measures for occupied voxels, where each of the occupied voxels represents an occupied point of an environment of a robot. The volume measure for each of the occupied voxels is a “padding” for the occupied voxel and indicates a volume to be utilized for that occupied voxel. The volume measures for the occupied voxels are non-uniform in that they are not all the same volume measure. During path planning, the non-uniform volume measures of the occupied voxels can be considered as “paddings” for the occupied voxels and the occupied voxels with their corresponding volume measures considered as obstacles.

Abstract: An example method may include i) detecting a disturbance to a gait of a robot, where the gait includes a swing state and a step down state, the swing state including a target swing trajectory for a foot of the robot, and where the target swing trajectory includes a beginning and an end; and ii) based on the detected disturbance, causing the foot of the robot to enter the step down state before the foot reaches the end of the target swing trajectory.

Abstract: Disclosed are a vehicle control unit (VCU) and an operation method thereof that calculate a speed variation of a vehicle based on input information, predict an average speed of the vehicle based on the calculated speed variation, generate a first speed profile based on the predicted average speed, and generate a second speed profile by applying speed noise information to the first speed profile.

Abstract: A joint driving unit driving a joint of a robot arm includes a motor, a speed reducer transmitting rotation of the motor in a variable speed, an input side encoder detecting a rotation angle of a rotation shaft of the motor, and an output side encoder detecting a rotation angle of an output shaft of the speed reducer. When positioning the end effector at a working start position at which predetermined work is started, operation of the robot is set to an output based control mode in which an angle of a joint is feedback controlled based on an angle detection value from the output side encoder. When the robot performs the predetermined work, the operation of the robot is changed to an input based control mode in which the angle of the joint is feedback controlled based on an angle detection value from the input side encoder.

Abstract: A device and method for monitoring and correcting the position and orientation of an operating device (2) with respect to a piece (P). A measuring device (5) including a plurality of sensors (505) connected to the operating device is used to measure through contactless technology the distances of the sensors from a surface (?) of the piece along respective directions (l, r, s) having given orientations. The sensor measurements are compared to predetermined desired values and the position of the operating device (2) is selectively changed to maintain a desired positional relationship between a main operative axis (X1) of the operative device and operation axis (X2) defined by the surface of the piece.

Abstract: Robots, users, or a central controller may leverage Geo analytics and/or augmented reality to search for, discover, access and use robots. The robots may perform tasks to provide selective services on-demand within medicine, agriculture, military, entertainment, manufacturing, personal, or public safety, among other things.

Abstract: A system includes a set of automated arms. Each automated arm includes a holder configured to support a portion of a part, with the set including a quantity of automated arms and holders sufficient for verifying a complex geometry of the part. The automated arms are configured to move the holders into respective verification positions. The system also includes a computing device that includes memory that stores a plurality of predefined automated arm configurations. Each automated arm configuration includes holder verification positions to support portions of a part having a respective complex geometry. The computing device is configured to manipulate the set of automated arms to implement the holder verification positions of a selected one of the automated arm configurations.

Abstract: Robotic control systems and methods may include providing an end effector tool of a robotic device configured to perform a task on a work surface within a worksite coordinate frame. Unintended movement over time of the end effector tool with respect to the work surface and with respect to the worksite coordinate frame may be determined based on image data indicative of the work surface, first location data indicative of a first location of the end effector tool with respect to the worksite coordinate frame, and second location data indicative of a second location of the end effector tool with respect to the work surface. One or more control signals for the robotic device may be adjusted in order to counteract the unintended movements of the end effector tool with respect to the work surface and worksite coordinate frame.

Abstract: On the basis of received first region information indicating a first region, which is a region designated for an acquired picked-up image of a plurality of target objects, and second region information indicating a second region different from the first region, a robot control device causes a robot to grip the target object for which the second region not overlapping the first region of another of the target objects is designated and does not cause the robot to grip the target object, the second region for which overlaps the first region of the other target object.

Abstract: An AGV comb-type transfer robot, comprising: a lifting frame (2), comb teeth being mounted on the lifting frame (2); and a traveling frame (1), a comb tooth lifting apparatus (15) being mounted on the traveling frame (1), and a traveling drive mechanism (13) and a central control system being mounted in the traveling frame (1). The comb tooth lifting apparatus (15) comprises a lifting drive motor (151) and a gear set (152) in transmission connection with the motor (151). The traveling drive mechanism (13) comprises a traveling drive motor and a traveling wheel set mounted in the traveling frame (1). The present invention also relates to a method for storing and retrieving a vehicle using the robot. The transfer efficiency and intelligent level of the robot are high.

Abstract: Described in detail herein are methods and systems for detecting absent physical objects using autonomous robot devices. In exemplary embodiments, the system includes shelving units disposed throughout a facility storing sets of physical objects. A first set of machine readable representations can be disposed on the front surface of the shelving unit and a second set of machine readable representations can be disposed on the back wall of the shelving unit. The first and second set of machine readable representations can be encoded with identifiers associated with the sets of physical objects. An autonomous robot device can be configured to detect and read a first set of machine-readable representations in response to successfully detecting and reading the second set of machine readable representations the autonomous robot device can determine the absence of a set of like physical objects.

Abstract: The locations of flowers on a plant, rather than the locations of agricultural products produced from such flowers, are used to facilitate the performance of harvesting and other agricultural operations in robotic agricultural applications. In some implementations, the identified location of a fruit-producing flower may be used by a robotic device to apply an indicator tag to a flowering plant proximate the flower for later identification when performing various types of directed and automated agricultural operations. In other implementations, the identified location of a fruit-producing flower may be used by a robotic device to anchor a stem of a flowering plant to a predetermined location such that the location of the flower, and of any fruit(s) later produced by such flower, are controlled and/or known when performing subsequent agricultural operations.

Abstract: A steer-by-wire control method is provided for a steer-by-wire system mounted in a vehicle that is equipped with an engine and a battery. The steer-by-wire control method stores a deviation angle between a steering angle and a turning angle in a non-volatile memory of the steer-by-wire system as a readable value when an ignition switch is switched from ON to OFF. The steer-by-wire control method further reads the deviation angle from the non-volatile memory when the ignition switch is switched from OFF to ON. The steer-by-wire control method further prohibits further reading of the deviation angle from the non-volatile memory after reading the deviation angle from the non-volatile memory and after reading the deviation angle from the non-volatile memory and after starting the steer-by-wire control.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method to assist with the operation of an instrument by means of said device, the device and the method using leverage effects in order to calculate the data relative to any point of an instrument axis, instead of using low-accuracy sensors. Other improvements are also described that allow higher-quality usage performance for the operator, which reduces the risk of errors and simplifies the operations.

Abstract: A grasp management system and corresponding methods are described. In some examples, information about a set of grasps of a robotic manipulator is accessed. The information is used by the robotic manipulator to attempt to grasp an item using the set of grasps associated with a first grasping orientation. An orientation of the robotic manipulator can be adjusted into a second grasping orientation and the robotic manipulator can attempt to grasp the item using the set of grasps associated with the second grasping orientation. Information about the attempts can be recorded and used to determine a richness measure that may represent a richness of the set of grasps for the item.

Abstract: A three-dimensional computer model of an environment is formed based on collected sensor data that includes at least one of image data of the environment and range data to objects in the environment. A plurality of candidate trajectories within the environment are generated based on the three-dimensional computer model. Rendered image data of the three-dimensional computer model and the plurality of candidate trajectories is formed. One of the candidate trajectories is selected based on the rendered image data and is utilized for controlling movement of a mobile platform.