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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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 method of predicting occupancy of unseen areas in a region of interest (ROI) includes obtaining a depth image of the ROI, the depth image being captured from a first height; generating an occupancy map based on the obtained depth image, the occupancy map comprising an array of cells corresponding to locations in the ROI; and generating an inpainted map by inputting the occupancy map into a trained inpainting network, the inpainted map comprising an array of cells corresponding to the ROI, and wherein the inpainting network is trained by comparing an output of the inpainting network, based on inputting a training depth image taken from the first height, to a ground truth map, the ground truth map being based on a combination of the training depth image and a depth image taken at a height different than the first height.

Abstract: A method for primarily sensor-based navigation includes: in a first time period, collecting geophysical position data using a GPS receiver of a navigation device; in the first time period, collecting a first set of accelerometer data using an accelerometer of the navigation device; analyzing the first set of accelerometer data to produce a first set of vertical vehicular motion data; generating a mapping association between the first set of vertical vehicular motion data and the geophysical position data; in a second time period after the first time period, collecting a second set of accelerometer data using the accelerometer; analyzing the second set of accelerometer data to produce a second set of vertical vehicular motion data; and calculating an estimated location of the vehicle by analyzing the second set of vertical vehicular motion data in light of the mapping association.

Abstract: A method of transporting an object using a system comprising a plurality of robots. The method comprises one or more robots of the plurality of robots arranging themselves to each exert a respective transporting force on the object. Each of the one or more robots evaluates whether it satisfies a transport criterion while arranged to exert the respective transporting force on the object. If all of the one or more robots satisfy the transport criterion, the one or more robots exert the respective transporting forces on the object to transport the object towards a destination. At least one of the one or more robots evaluates whether it satisfies the transport criterion based on observations of other robots of the plurality of robots within its vicinity.

Abstract: A navigation device includes an own vehicle position detecting unit configured to detect position information of own vehicle; a route setting unit configured to set a guidance route that guides the own vehicle to a destination on the basis of a first map including information of a traveling route and the position information of the own vehicle; a matching unit configured to match a position of the own vehicle as a first own position with the traveling route where the own vehicle travels on the first map on the basis of the position information of the own vehicle; a driving lane detecting unit configured to match the position of the own vehicle as a second own position with a driving lane where the own vehicle travels on a second map on the basis of the second map including information of the driving lane in the traveling route and the position information of the own vehicle; and a calculating unit configured to determine whether the second own position is included in the first own position.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to perform operations comprising obtaining, by a computing system, a lane-keeping safe set associated with constraints on lateral movement of a vehicle traveling on a road, generating, by the computing system, a lane-keeping safe set with preview based on the lane-keeping safe set and preview data, the preview data associated with characteristics of the road ahead of the vehicle, receiving, by the computing system, a steer command to control the lateral movement of the vehicle, and generating, by the computing system, a safe steer command by modifying the steer command based on the lane-keeping safe set with preview.

Abstract: A method of operating a mobile construction robot includes placing an optical tracker on an architectural construction site and parking a driving platform of the robot on the site. An end effector of the robot is moved in first and second positions and the first and second positions of the end effector relative to the driving platform are measured. An optical marker mounted to the end effector is tracked in the first and second positions of the end effector with the optical tracker and the first and second positions of the optical marker relative to the optical tracker is measured with the optical tracker. A position and an orientation of the driving platform is determined based on the measured first and second position of the end effector relative to the driving platform and the measured first and second position of the optical marker relative to the optical tracker.

Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a first prediction path generator, a second prediction path generator, a leading-vehicle-information acquiring unit, a divergence determining unit, a reliability determining unit, and a travel path selector. The first prediction path generator generates a first prediction path of a vehicle based on map information and positional information of the vehicle. The second prediction path generator generates a second prediction path of the vehicle based on external environment information. The leading-vehicle-information acquiring unit acquires leading vehicle information. The divergence determining unit determines whether a divergence of a predetermined amount or more has occurred between the two prediction paths. The reliability determining unit determines reliability of each prediction path based on the leading vehicle information in a case where the divergence has occurred.

Abstract: A relative position determining apparatus according to the present invention includes: a first trajectory information obtaining unit obtaining first trajectory information that is a set of first trajectory points indicating positions that a first moving object has passed; a second trajectory information obtaining unit obtaining second trajectory information that is a set of second trajectory points indicating positions that a second moving object has passed; a map information obtaining unit obtaining map information including lane shape information indicating a shape of each lane; a matching determining unit determining whether each of the first trajectory information and the second trajectory information matches the lane shape information; and a relative lane determining unit determining relative lanes of the first moving object and the second moving object, based on a result of the determination by the matching determining unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for planning a shortest possible three-dimensional path for autonomous flying robots to traverse from one location to the other in a geographical region, including translating a three-dimensional (3D) environment, discretizing the 3D environment into a graph of many grid cells or nodes, employing a modified any-angle path planning algorithm to calculate non-uniform traversal cost of each grid cell and by averaging the total traversal costs along the path to shorten the corresponding computation time, whilst incorporating operational costs other than the traversal cost specific to the autonomous flying robots to be traversed. The shortest possible path found by the present method does not only consider the path length, but also takes different costs of traversing and operating the flying robots into account, which increases its feasibility and flexibility to be applied in a wide variety of situations and technological areas.

Abstract: A mechanical arm calibration system and a mechanical arm calibration method are provided. The method includes: locating a position of an end point of a mechanical arm in a three-dimensional space to calculate an actual motion trajectory of the end point when the mechanical arm is operating; retrieving link parameters of the mechanical arm, randomly generating sets of particles including compensation amounts for the link parameters through particle swarm optimization (PSO), importing the compensation amounts of each of the sets of particles into forward kinematics after addition of the corresponding link parameters, to calculate an adaptive motion trajectory of the end point; calculating position errors between the adaptive motion trajectory and the actual motion trajectory of each of the sets of particles for a fitness value of the PSO to estimate a group best position; and updating the link parameters by the compensation amounts corresponding to the group best 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: A companion robot is disclosed. In some embodiments, the companion robot may include a head having a facemask and a projector configured to project facial images onto the facemask; a facial camera; a microphone configured to receive audio signals from the environment; a speaker configured to output audio signals; and a processor electrically coupled with the projector, the facial camera, the microphone, and the speaker. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to receive facial images from the facial camera; receive speech input from the microphone; determine an audio output based on the facial images and/or the speech input; determine a facial projection output based the facial images and/or the speech input; output the audio output via the speaker; and project the facial projection output on the facemask via the projector.

Abstract: The method can include performing inference using the system; and can optionally include training the system components. The method functions to automatically interpret flight commands from a stream of air traffic control (ATC) radio communications. The method can additionally or alternatively function to train and/or update a natural language processing system based on ATC communications. Additionally, the method can include or be used in conjunction with collision avoidance and/or directed perception for traffic detection associated therewith.

Abstract: A spray operation method includes obtaining two-dimensional position information of a target area and a three-dimensional model of the target area, and obtaining an operation route according to the two-dimensional position information and the three-dimensional model, where the operation route includes a plurality of waypoints, and at least one of the waypoints is associated with altitude information.