Abstract: Distributed control of vehicles with coordinating cars that implement a cooperative control method, and non-coordinating cars that are presumed to follow predictable dynamics. A cooperative control method can combine distributed receding horizon control, for optimization-based path planning and feedback, with higher level logic, to ensure that implemented plans are collision free. The cooperative method can be completely distributed with partially synchronous execution, and can afford dedicated time for communication and computation, features that are prerequisites for implementation on real freeways. The method can test for conflicts and can calculate optimized trajectories by adjusting parameters in terminal state constraints of an optimal control problem.

Abstract: A communication draw-in system that enables robot-human communication to start smoothly is provided. The communication draw-in system is a communication draw-in system provided in a robot that communicates with a target human, and includes: a human specifying unit 200 for specifying a position of the target human; a light source control unit 201 for moving light toward the specified position of the target human; a draw-in control unit 203 for instructing the robot to perform a draw-in operation for making the target human recognize a direction of the robot; and a human recognition specifying unit 204 for determining whether or not the target human has recognized the robot, wherein the robot is instructed to start communicating with the target human, in the case where the target human is determined to have recognized the robot.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mobile robot for detecting and repairing damages of a hull, including: a mobile robot unit which includes at least one frame to which motor-driven drive wheels are installed, frame connectors which flexibly connect the frames with each other, and at least one robot electromagnet and adsorption module mounted on each of the frames, and is configured to be attached to the hull through the robot electromagnet so as to move or stop on a surface of the hull by the drive wheels; a stage unit which includes a rechargeable battery mounted therein to supply power to the mobile robot unit, and a docking module provided to dock with or separate from the mobile robot unit; and a connection line configured to be wound or unwound while receiving tension controlled by the stage unit, and electrically connected between the mobile robot unit and the stage unit.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to a container that can be installed at a remote location, detect a disaster event, and automatically deploy a UAV. In response to detection of the disaster event, such a container may be configured to: (i) determine whether or not one or more weather conditions affecting operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are conducive to deployment of the UAV to fly to the first geographic area, (ii) if the one or more conditions are conducive to deployment of the UAV, then deploy the UAV to fly to the first geographic area, and (iii) if the one or more conditions are not conducive to deployment of the UAV, then monitor the second data until it is determined that the one or more conditions are conducive to deployment of the UAV, and then deploy the UAV to fly to the first geographic area.

Abstract: A method determines the remaining range of a motor vehicle which has an energy store for an electric motor drive which acts the wheels of the motor vehicle. Consumption values which describe the current consumption of the drive and of a secondary consumer are determined using a sensor. A drive prediction value which is assigned to the drive and describes the consumption over a predetermined distance is determined from the consumption values of the drive. A secondary consumption prediction value which is assigned to the secondary consumers and describes the consumption over a predetermined distance is determined separately from the consumption values of the secondary consumers, and the remaining range is determined for a distance which is to be travelled by the motor vehicle and is described by the route data, by taking into account the drive prediction value and the secondary consumption prediction value.

Abstract: A control system may receive a first plurality of measurements indicative of respective joint angles corresponding to a plurality of sensors connected to a robot. The robot may include a body and a plurality of jointed limbs connected to the body associated with respective properties. The control system may also receive a body orientation measurement indicative of an orientation of the body of the robot. The control system may further determine a relationship between the first plurality of measurements and the body orientation measurement based on the properties associated with the jointed limbs of the robot. Additionally, the control system may estimate an aggregate orientation of the robot based on the first plurality of measurements, the body orientation measurement, and the determined relationship. Further, the control system may provide instructions to control at least one jointed limb of the robot based on the estimated aggregate orientation of the robot.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle has an electric parking brake (EPB) and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control the EPB. The ECU is configured to control the EPB to apply it upon determining that a driver is not present in the vehicle. The ECU is configured to determine whether the driver is present in the vehicle or not based at least upon there having been or not having been a steering input. The ECU is configured to determine that there has been a steering input when a steering torque signal from an electric power steering system of the vehicle has changed by at least a threshold amount during a set period of time based and determine that there has not been a steering input when the steering torque signal has not changed by at least the threshold amount during the set period of time.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method for reducing fuel consumption of a work vehicle is disclosed. The method may generally include determining, with a controller, a load power requirement for the work vehicle, determining a plurality of candidate engine speeds at which the load power requirement is achievable, analyzing stored efficiency data for a transmission and at least one additional component of the work vehicle to determine a power loss value for each candidate engine speed, determining a candidate engine power for each candidate engine speed based on the load power requirement and the power loss values and analyzing stored fuel efficiency data based on the candidate engine powers to determine a target engine speed for the work vehicle.

Abstract: A positioning apparatus includes: a calculation unit that calculates an amount of deviation between a position of a feature point of a reference workpiece and a feature point of a workpiece by comparing a relative position of an imaging unit with respect to a table when the workpiece is imaged by the imaging unit with a reference relative position, and comparing a position of a feature point of the workpiece in the image of the workpiece imaged by the imaging unit with a reference point image position; and a program changing unit that generates a correction amount such that the amount of deviation calculated by the calculation unit becomes zero, and thereby changes a program of the machine tool.

Abstract: A system includes an operator control unit having a point-and-click interface configured to allow the operator to control the remote vehicle by inputting one or more commands via the point-and-click interface. The operator control unit displays a 3D local perceptual space comprising an egocentric coordinate system encompassing a predetermined distance centered on the remote vehicle, a remote vehicle representation having selectable portions, and an icon at a point selected in the 3D local perceptual space and at a corresponding location in an alternative view of a map having an identified current location of the remote vehicle. The system also includes a payload attached to the remote vehicle. The payload includes a computational module and an integrated sensor suite including a global positioning system, an inertial measurement unit, and a stereo vision camera.

Abstract: A centralized maintenance device installed on-board an aircraft notably carries out the following functions: correlation of data relating to failures, warnings, configurations, operational contexts, flags and the logbook, received by the on-board maintenance system; storage of the data received by the on-board maintenance system in a first database; management of a historical record of the data received and of their correlation; transmission to a man-machine interface of the data received, of their correlation and of a date associated with each item of data; display of the received data, their correlation and the date associated with each item of data, by a man-machine interface of the on-board maintenance system.

Abstract: A brake actuation recognition device has an evaluation device by which at least one provided modification quantity relating to a temporal change in an actual quantity relating to a pressure in a pressure chamber of a brake booster of a brake system is compared with a specified comparison quantity range such that, if the at least one provided modification quantity is within the comparison value range, it is determined that a brake actuating element situated on the brake system is in an actuation state below a specified minimum actuation state, and a corresponding information is outputted.

Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include methods, systems, and computer-readable media for identifying a motion path for an industrial robot. According to one embodiment, a method includes identifying a plurality of points at which at least one component of the industrial robot is positioned during performance of a task. The identified points include at least a starting point and an ending point of the component for performing the task. The method also includes generating one or more motion paths for the industrial robot to perform the task based on the identified points. The method further includes identifying and predicting energy consumption by the industrial robot for the one or more generated motion paths. The method also includes selecting the motion path for the industrial robot based on the identified energy consumption. Additionally, the method includes storing information about the energy consumption by the industrial robot for the selected motion path.

Abstract: A semi-autonomous robot system (10) that includes scanning and scanned data manipulation that is utilized for controlling remote operation of a robot system within an operating environment.

Abstract: A control method for a balancing lifting gear which includes a lifting motor that can be actuated by a controller and uses a control handle with a force sensor to lift and lower a load-supporting device. In a “Balance” operating mode, the load-supporting device, with or without a picked-up load, is raised or lowered by the controller in response to a force applied by an operator. In order to ensure disturbance-free handling of a load when removing or attaching a load, a “Pick-up” operating mode or an “Assemble” operating mode is selected, in which the load-supporting device is moved independently without the influence of the force of the operator by the controller in the lifting or lowering direction in dependence upon the signals determined by the force sensor. A balancing lifting gear which operates in accordance with the aforementioned control method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A gust compensation system is configured to adaptively reduce gust loads exerted into an aircraft. The gust compensation system may include a first sensor proximate to a front of the aircraft. The first sensor is configured to output a first signal. A second sensor may be distally located from the front of the aircraft. The second sensor is configured to output a second signal. A gust signal sub-system is configured to receive the first and second signals and generate a gust signal based on analysis of the first and second signals. The gust signal sub-system outputs the gust signal and may modify a load parameter signal in response to the gust signal exceeding a load alleviation threshold.

Abstract: A smart necklace includes a body defining at least one cavity and having a neck portion and first and a second side portions. The necklace includes a pair of stereo cameras that is configured to detect image data including depth information corresponding to a surrounding environment of the smart necklace. The necklace further includes a positioning sensor configured to detect positioning data corresponding to a positioning of the smart necklace. The necklace includes a non-transitory memory positioned in the at least one cavity and configured to store map data and object data. The smart necklace also includes a processor positioned in the at least one cavity, coupled to the pair of stereo cameras, the positioning sensor and the non-transitory memory. The processor is configured to determine output data based on the image data, the positioning data, the map data and the object data.

Abstract: A robotic device may be operated by a learning controller comprising a feature learning configured to determine control signal based on sensory input. An input may be analyzed in order to determine occurrence of one or more features. Features in the input may be associated with the control signal during online supervised training. During training, learning process may be adapted based on training input and the predicted output. A combination of the predicted and the target output may be provided to a robotic device to execute a task. Feature determination may comprise online adaptation of input, sparse encoding transformations. Computations related to learning process adaptation and feature detection may be performed on board by the robotic device in real time thereby enabling autonomous navigation by trained robots.

Abstract: A system and method for guidance of a moving robotic device through an approximated real time (ART) virtual video stream is presented. The system and method includes at least one camera for collecting images of a terrain in a remote location, at least one terrain data collecting device for collecting data from a remote location, a memory for storing images from the plurality of cameras, a communication device for transmitting the images and data over a path and a computer configured to calculate a delay between the cameras and the receiver. The calculated delay causes the computer to retrieve images and data from the receiver and memory and consequently generate an approximate real-time video and data stream for displaying the terrain-just-ahead of a moving robotic device at a distance proportional to the calculated delay and the ART video and data stream is used to guide the moving robotic device.

Abstract: A teaching system according to an embodiment includes an image generating unit, a start point specifying unit, a via point specifying unit, and a teaching data generating unit. The image generating unit generates a virtual image including a closed processing line set on a workpiece to be processed by a robot. The start point specifying unit specifies a start point at a position outside the processing line on the virtual image. The via point specifying unit specifies a via point on the processing line. The teaching data generating unit generates teaching data relative to the robot for a path that leaves the start point to follow the processing line by way of the via point and returns to the via point.