Abstract: A robotic beverage server that includes a robot, a beverage dispenser in fluid communication with a plurality of beverages contained within respective beverage storage receptacles and operable to dispense one or more of the beverages from the respective storage receptacles, and a controller to operate the robot to pick a container and move the container to the beverage dispenser and to operate the beverage dispenser to dispense one or more of the beverages from the storage receptacles into the container and transport the container to a user. A method of preparing a beverage or mixture of beverages that includes picking a container using a robot, moving the container to an automatic beverage dispenser, wherein the beverage dispenser is in fluid communication with and operable to dispense a plurality of beverages contained within a plurality of storage receptacles, dispensing a beverage into the container from the storage receptacles via the automatic beverage dispenser and delivering the container to a user.

Abstract: A robot system and method have been developed which are able to automatically load balls in semi-autogenous grinding mills so as to reduce the time used for maintenance. The robotic system is comprised of a robotic manipulator of at least 5 degrees of freedom, a grip mechanism which allows, in a sequential and programmed way, to take, manipulate and release a ball from a ball holder rack located at one of its sides.

Abstract: A robot calibration system and method for robots in semiconductor wafer processing systems is disclosed. The calibration system comprises a calibration array, a dummy wafer and a control system programmed with a calibration routine. The calibration array has an plurality of inductive proximity sensors to determine parallelism of the robot relative to a station and a center locating sensor to determine the center of the station.

Abstract: An autonomous robot, that is for example, suitable for operations such as vacuuming and surface cleaning includes a payload configured for vacuum cleaning, a drive system including a steering system, a navigation system, and a control system for integrating operations of the aforementioned systems.

Abstract: Realized is a robot controller capable of handling a large amount of data of images and so on necessary for advanced intelligence of control while securing a real-time performance with a simple structure. For this purpose, there are provided a motion control device for performing a calculation process for achieving motion control of an object to be controlled, a recognition and planning device for performing task and motion planning of the object to be controlled and recognition of outside world, an input/output interface for outputting a command to the object to be controlled and receiving as input, a state of the object to be controlled, and a route selecting device for controlling communications by switching connections among the motion control device the recognition and planning device, and the input/output interface.

Abstract: Disparate robotic devices can be automatically recharged and reprogrammed by self-scheduling individual time slots for the available recharging area(s) of a charging station. These charging stations provide a nest to which each robot must return periodically for power. These nests can also provide new tasking or patches for the robotic devices. The charging station and the robotic devices are both provided with communications capabilities and a protocol by which they can negotiate to find a time slot in which the device can be recharged, as well as determining a correct connector and a battery type.

Abstract: A method and a system for use in connection with off-line programming of an industrial robot. The robot is taught a path having a number of waypoints located on or in the vicinity of at least one object to be processed by the robot. The system includes a tracking system unit adapted to provide information about the position of a part of the body of an operator pointing by the part at points on or in the vicinity of the object, a visual feed-back unit generating a visual feed-back to the operator of the position of the point being presently pointed at by the part of the body, in relation to the object, and a storage unit adapted for storing the position of the part of the body as a waypoint upon receiving a recording command.

Abstract: An autonomously movable home cleaning robot that incorporates a sweeper and dust bin as well as a dusting assembly in tandem in the direction of movement of the robot.

Abstract: A mobile robot communication system includes a remote unit, a repeater module and a control station. A cable connects the repeater module to the control station. The remote unit has a wireless receiver/transmitter for sending and receiving commands. The repeater module has a wireless receiver/transmitter for sending and receiving commands from the mobile unit. The control station is operable in communication with the repeater module for remotely sending and receiving signals. The cable is attached between the repeater module and control station for transmitting signals therebetween.

Abstract: An operation control unit of a reception system includes a visitor ID information DB for storing therein visitor comparison information and visitor ID information including a phone number of a receiver of a visitor; an identifying unit for identifying the visitor when visitor information obtained by a camera or the like of the robot is identical to the visitor comparison information; a phone calling module for calling the phone number of a mobile terminal of the receiver via a phone network, when the visitor is identified; an informing content determining unit for determining an informing content to the receiver based on the visitor ID information, when the visitor is identified; and a speech generating part for converting the received information into a voice. The informing content is sent to the mobile terminal of the receiver via the phone network.

Abstract: A tool changer comprising a master module and a tool module includes a rapid-connect communication bus between the master and tool modules. A unique tool identification number, along with other tool-related information, may be transmitted from the tool module to the master module within about 250 msec of the master and tool modules coupling together. The master module includes a robotic system communications network node connected to the rapid-connect communication bus, and operative to transmit data between the tool and the network via the communication bus. The need for a separate network node in the tool module is obviated, reducing cost and reducing the start-up time required to initialize such a network node upon connecting to a new tool. The rapid-connect communication bus may be a serial bus.

Abstract: When generating a gait for a legged mobile robot 1 which has floating periods in which all the legs 2 of the robot float in the air and landing periods in which any of the legs 2 is in contact with the floor appearing alternately, a desired ZMP is set at any point in time in the floating periods and the landing periods, and a desired gait is generated in such a manner that the horizontal component of the moment produced about the desired ZMP by the resultant force of gravity and an inertial force caused by a movement of the robot with the desired gait is 0. The desired ZMP is set to be substantially continuous for all the periods in the gait. Furthermore, as a dynamics model for determining the desired gait, an approximate model is used which is arranged so that the moment, about a certain point of application, of the resultant force of the inertial force and gravity calculated using the model depends on the position of the point of application.

Abstract: An allowable range of a frictional force component, such as a horizontal component of a translation floor reaction force, applied to a legged mobile robot 1 is set, and a provisional movement with a current time gait of the robot 1 is determined so as to satisfy a condition concerning the allowable range and a dynamical equilibrium condition that a moment produced about a point of application of a provisional desired floor reaction force substantially agrees with a provisional desired floor reaction force moment. The provisional movement is determined by adjusting movements in two movement modes which are different in ratio between the translation floor reaction force and the floor reaction force moment.

Abstract: In the articulated robot, types of teaching a moving track of the robot can be optionally selected. The articulated robot comprises: a switch for manually selecting a moving axis to move an arm section along the selected axis; a manual pulse generator generating pulses; first controller for controlling motors to linearly move a front end of the arm section a prescribed distance, which corresponds to number of pulses; an operating board including a selecting switch, which is used to move the arm section along the selected axis; second controller for automatically controlling the motors so as to move the arm section while the selecting switch is turned on; third controller for stopping the motors to freely move the arm section while the arm section is manually moved; and a switch for selecting a type of teaching action.

Abstract: A dual purpose media drive exchanges data with removable media items. The drive includes at least one port to receive various control signals, including (1) data exchange commands directing the drive to read and/or write data to a media item mounted by the drive, and (2) robotic device management commands. The drive includes a processor that responds to incoming data exchange commands by reading and/or writing to the loaded media item. The processor responds to at least some robotic device management signals by forwarding them to a robotic media transport device. The processor withholds the data exchange commands from the robotic device, since they are only pertinent to operations of the drive itself. The robotic device may be configured to restrict host access to library components according to predefined logical partitions.

Abstract: A robot includes a robot sensor for sensing abnormality around the robot, a moving portion for moving the robot main body, and a movement control unit for controlling the moving portion so that the robot main body is moved to a destination determined according to the information sensed by a fixed-position sensor fixed to a predetermined position outside the robot. The moving destination may be determined by the total control unit of the robot main body according to the information from the fixed-position sensors or by a center communicating with the robot according to the information from the fixed-position sensors. Since abnormality is sensed by the fixed-position sensors together with the robot sensor, the fixed-position sensors may have low accuracy obtained at a low cost.

Abstract: An image transmission device and method, a transmitting device and method, a receiving device and method, and robot apparatus are capable of effectively transmitting the image data of multiple channels by using the existing systems which are formed on the premise of transmitting and receiving of the image data through single transmission line. At a transmitting side, the image data of multiple channels to be input is multiplexed with switching the channels by frame, and prescribed image information is added to each of the multiplexed image data of each frame. At a receiving side, the image information added to each of the image data for each frame respectively transmitted from the transmitting are analyzed, and dividing for dividing for each frame and outputting the multiplexed image data transmitted from the transmitting to the corresponding channels is provided based on the analysis result.

Abstract: A robot control unit for controlling a robot mechanism unit constantly detects the status of a robot and stores it as robot status data. An operation command input by voice from a head set is converted into character data by a voice/character data conversion device, and input to a control device. The control device searches a command corresponding to an operation command input in operation commands stored in management data. An executing program group is specified for link and storage with the corresponding operation command.

Abstract: A computer is connected to a system formed by combining a robot with a peripheral device (such as a welder). The computer receives robot mechanical unit motion position information supplied from a robot controller and command information to be outputted to the peripheral device, and displays motions of the robot mechanical unit and the peripheral device on its display screen in an animation form.

Abstract: A multiple degree-of-freedom ultra-precision (DOF) robotic system yielding either rigid body guidance or large deformation analysis (LDRS, i.e. semi-flexible and flexible robotics) is developed based on the technology of integrating a multiple DOF ultra-precision shadow robotic measurement system with a multiple DOF robot for form a closed-loop linkage chain to establish a corresponding closed-loop feedback control of end-effecter of said robotic system without the use and limitation of any target or artificial marker in work-cell as the reference. In this way, the major degrading problems that greatly drag down the positioning accuracy of a robot have been fairly resolved. The embodiment conducts the details of the development of such a multiple DOF ultra-precision robotic system for the general applications in precision engineering.