Abstract: An automated robotic depalletizing system includes at least one robot for transferring inventory that arrives on a pallet to different storage locations within a warehouse. The robot may perform the automated depalletizing by moving to the pallet having a stacked arrangement of a plurality of objects, identifying, via a sensor, a topmost object of the plurality of objects, aligning a retriever with the topmost object, engaging the topmost object with the retriever, and transferring the topmost object from the pallet to the robot by actuating the retriever. The automated depalletizing may also be performed via coordinated operations of two or more robots. For instance, a first robot may retrieve objects from the pallet, and a second set of one or more robots may be used to transfer the retrieved objects into storage.

Abstract: A robot including a driver configured to move a main body, a memory configured to store an obstacle map with respect to a cleaning area, a sensor configured to collect information about the cleaning area, a communication interface configured to communicate with a second robot, and a controller is disclosed. The controller is configured to, when receiving an obstacle map including position information for a liquid region in the cleaning area from the second robot, control the main body to move to the liquid region and clean the liquid region.

Abstract: An obstacle avoidance method for a robot arm is provided, including a modeling step, a collecting and evaluating coordinates step, an obtaining control parameter step, an establishing an occupation function step, and a finding an obstacle avoiding posture step. The present invention pre-stores the data obtained in performing the modeling step, the step of collecting and evaluating coordinates, the step of obtaining control parameter, and the step of establishing the occupation function into a database, thereby allowing the robot arm to quickly evaluate whether a collision behavior will occur in subsequent execution of a task. If a collision will occur, the robot arm executes the step of the finding the obstacle avoiding posture to dodge obstacles. The invention uses a non-contact approach for anti-collision design, which can improve the shortcomings faced by the existing contact type anti-collision design.

Abstract: Techniques and systems are disclosed for using swept volume profile data cached in association with a PRM to improve various aspects of motion planning for a robot. In some implementations, a first probabilistic road map representing possible paths to be travelled by a robot within a physical area is generated. An initial path for the robot within the first probabilistic road map is determined. Data indicating a second probabilistic road map representing a path to be travelled by a movable object within the physical area is obtained. A potential obstruction associated with one or more edges included in the subset of edges is detected. An adjusted path for the robot within the first probabilistic road map is then determined based on the potential obstruction.

Abstract: There is provided a control device that controls a robot based on a work sequence in which a plurality of commands including a first command and a second command are arrayed, the control device including a display control section configured to display the work sequence on a display section, and a storing section configured to store display position relation information including first display position relation information indicating a relative first display position relation between a display position of the first command in the work sequence displayed on the display section and a display position of the second command in the work sequence displayed on the display section.

Abstract: To provide a robot control system and a robot control method capable of placing a component grasped by a robot hand at an accurate location on another member. A robot control system is provided with: a robot hand configured to grasp a clip; a camera configured to capture an image of the clip grasped by the robot hand, a calculation unit configured to calculate a position of the clip or an inclination of a component based on an imaging result of the clip captured by the camera, and a robot control unit configured to control the robot hand to adjust, based on the position of the clip or the inclination of the component calculated by the calculation unit, a position or an inclination of the robot hand and move the clip to a stringer.

Abstract: A robot cleaner for cleaning in consideration of a floor state through artificial intelligence includes a cleaning unit including a suction unit and a mopping unit, a driving unit to drive the robot cleaner, and a processor to obtain a carpet area or a rug area based on cleaning data, and to control the driving unit to change an entrance direction of the robot cleaner when the robot cleaner enters the carpet area or the rug area.

Abstract: In the field of robot technologies, a robot control method and apparatus are for protecting safety of a human during interaction between the human and a robot. The method includes: detecting a current location of the human; determining at least two regions surrounding the human according to the detected current location; and controlling movement of the robot in any region of the at least two regions, to protect safety of the human during interaction with the robot. Because the region is set surrounding the human, movement of the human does not affect the interaction between the human and the robot. In addition, using a protected object as a target, the robot is controlled to move in regions that surround the human. Compared with a case in which the robot is limited in fixed space, no matter how the human moves, safety of the human may be effectively protected.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controlling an array of multiple autonomous robots. In particular, the methods addresses an issue of controlling the multiple autonomous robots with to-be-controlled object units (units) when there is a non-contact portion in a common location between a set of initial locations of the units and a set of target locations of the units. The methods include: selecting a head to-be-controlled object unit (head object) based on a object unit at a location inside a set of locations and adjacent to a destination location, selecting a tail to-be-controlled object unit (tail object) based on a unit at a location outside the set and inside the initial location, moving a series of units from the head unit to the tail unit so as to follow operation of the head unit, and updating the set based on the destination location.

Abstract: A plurality of sensors are configured to provide a corresponding output that reflects a sensed value associated with engagement of a robotic arm end effector with an item. The respective outputs of one or more sensors comprising the plurality of sensors are used to determine one or more inputs to a multi-modal model configured to provide, based at least in part on the one or more inputs, an output associated with slippage of the item within or from a grasp of the robotic arm end effector. A determination associated with slippage of the item within or from the grasp of the robotic arm end effector is made based at least in part on an output of the multi-modal model. A responsive action is taken based at least in part on the determination associated with slippage of the item within or from the grasp of the robotic arm end effector.

Abstract: A system for controlling an aerospace vehicle by exploiting the dihedral effect to control bank angle of the vehicle by modulating sideslip. The control system includes a closed feedback loop comprising an outer loop for producing a sideslip angle command to induce a roll moment through the dihedral effect to satisfy a bank angle command, and an inner loop for taking the sideslip angle command, and possibly an angle of attack command to produce control input for flightpath hardware controls. Flightpath control hardware include pairs of flaps arranged longitudinally along the leading and trailing edges of an aeroshell of an aerospace entry vehicle to control pitch for changing the angle of attack, and another pair of flaps arranged laterally to control yaw for changing the bank angle via the sideslip angle, and also moving mass along ribs to control pitch and yaw. Thrusters can be fired to induce roll.

Abstract: A gripper including: an orientation sensor configured to generate an orientation reading for a target object; a first grasping blade and a second grasping blade configured to secure the target object in conjunction with the first grasping blade and at an opposite end of the target object relative to the first grasping blade; a first position sensor, of the first grasping blade, configured to generate a first position reading of the first grasping blade relative to the target object; a second position sensor, of the second grasping blade, configured to generate a second position reading of the second grasping blade relative to the target object; and a blade actuator configured to secure the target object with the first grasping blade and the second grasping blade based on a valid orientation of the orientation reading and based on the first position reading and the second position reading indicating a stable condition.

Abstract: For power-enhanced slew maneuvers, a method determines a power collection function for a satellite. The method determines a power cost function for the satellite. The method calculates a power enhanced slew maneuver based on the power collection function and the power cost function.

Abstract: A method creates a reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) for a trip t of line L, for each target line L? from a set of all transfers from line L to all other lines, by computing, for each origin line L, feasible transfers between stations of the origin line L and a destination line L?; sorting the computed feasible transfers to create a transfer set T(L); determining, for each trip t of origin line L, and for each transfer in the transfer set T(L), an earliest trip t? of L? wherein the transfer is feasible; and adding, for each trip t of origin line L, the determined transfer from t to t? to the reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) when trip t? is the only destination trip of the transfers in the reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) passing at the destination station and when it is earlier than all the previous destination trips of the transfers in the reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) passing by the destination station.

Abstract: An approach is provided for speculative navigation routing in incomplete maps. The approach involves, for example, generating an offline navigation route to a destination using offline map data cached at a device. The approach also involves transmitting a routing request to a routing server for an online navigation route to the destination. The approach further involves providing the online navigation route or a portion of the online navigation route based on determining that the online navigation route or the portion of the online navigation is received within a timeout period. The approach further involves providing the offline navigation route or a portion of the offline navigation route generated during the timeout period based on determining that the online navigation route or the portion of the online navigation route is not received before the timeout period ends.

Abstract: A system has a virtual-world (VW) controller and a physical-world (PW) controller. The pairing of a PW element with a VW element establishes them as corresponding physical and virtual twins. The VW controller and/or the PW controller receives measurements from one or more sensors characterizing aspects of the physical world, the VW controller generates the virtual twin, and the VW controller and/or the PW controller generates commands for one or more actuators affecting aspects of the physical world. To coordinate the corresponding virtual and physical twins, (i) the VW controller controls the virtual twin based on the physical twin or (ii) the PW controller controls the physical twin based on the virtual twin. Depending on the operating mode, one of the VW and PW controllers is a master controller, and the other is a slave controller, where the virtual and physical twins are both controlled based on one of VW or PW forces.

Abstract: There is provided a mobile robot that controls an exposure time of an optical sensor during a time interval during which images of a gap between tiles are captured. At an end of the time interval that an image of a gap between tiles is captured, the exposure time of the optical sensor is adjust to the exposure time being used right before the time interval to avoid high brightness of the captured image while the image of a gap between tiles is suddenly disappeared from a field of view of the optical sensor.

Abstract: A support structure connects a closure structure to a body for movement between a closed position in which the closure structure obstructs an opening and an open position in which the closure structure does not obstruct the opening. An actuator is operable to cause motion of the closure structure. A manipulator is connected to the closure structure and includes arm portions that are connected by actuated joints that are operable to move the arm portions with respect to each other and an end effector that is configured to pick up and release objects. Sensors output sensor signals and a controller is operable to cause motion of the closure structure to move the end effector relative to the objects based in part on the sensor signals.

Abstract: A robot system includes: a first robot; a second robot; and circuitry configured to: control the first and second robots to execute a collaborative operation on a work piece; and control, in response to a detection of an irregular state of the first robot during the collaborative operation, the first and second robots to execute a collaborative counteractive operation to eliminate the irregular state.

Abstract: A vehicle remote instruction system includes a remote instruction point situation recognition unit configured to recognize a remote instruction point situation on a target route preset for an autonomous vehicle, based on the target route, location information of the autonomous vehicle, and map information; a time prediction unit configured to predict monitoring start and end times of a remote commander for the remote instruction point situation on the target route, from a preset vehicle speed or a vehicle speed plan of the autonomous vehicle, based on the target route, the location information, the map information, and the remote instruction point situation; and a monitoring time allocation unit configured to allocate a monitoring time to a plurality of remote commanders based on the monitoring start and end times of the remote instruction point situation in a plurality of autonomous vehicles.