Abstract: To load and unload a trailer, an autonomous mobile robot determines its location and the location of objects within the trailer relative to the trailer itself, rather than relative to a warehouse. The autonomous mobile robot determines its location the location of objects within the trailer relative to the trailer. The autonomous mobile robot navigates within the trailer and manipulates objects within the trailer from the trailer's reference frame. Additionally, the autonomous mobile robot uses a centerline heuristic to compute a path for itself within the trailer. A centerline heuristic evaluates nodes within the trailer based on how far away those nodes are from the centerline. If the nodes are further away from the centerline, they are assigned a higher cost. Thus, when the autonomous mobile robot computes a path, the path is more likely to stay near the centerline of the trailer rather than get closer to the sides.

Abstract: Method for controlling the operation of an industrial robot configured in particular to carry out pick-and-place or singulation tasks.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a robot control apparatus. The apparatus includes: a signal acquisition unit configured to obtain, in the case that a robot triggers emergency stop and if the body switch of the robot is turned on, a switch turn-on signal that the body switch of the robot is turned on; a control unit configured to output an enable release control signal; a logic processing unit configured to perform logic processing on the switch turn-on signal if the switch turn-on signal is received, then output a manual release signal, perform logic processing on the enable release control signal if the enable release control signal is received, and then output an enable release signal; and a signal output unit configured to control, if the manual release signal or the enable release signal is received, the motor of the robot to release a band brake.

Abstract: A hybrid vehicle and a method of controlling the same, are configured for more efficiently distributing driving power for respective driving sources. The method of controlling a hybrid electric vehicle may include determining an engine operating point in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode, and determining first torque for a first motor and second torque for a second motor based on engine torque according to the engine operating point, required torque, and a speed of an input end of a transmission, the first motor may be directly connected to the engine, the second motor may be directly connected to the input end of the transmission, and the first motor and the second motor may be connected in the predetermined drive mode using driving power of the engine.

Abstract: A force sensing device for use in a robotic finger including: a first segment, the first segment having a first joint at a first end thereof; a second segment, the second segment being connected to the first segment by a second joint; and a third segment, the third segment being connected to the second segment by a third joint; and torque sensor for sensing the torque at each of the joints when a force is applied to the third segment. The first, second and third joints are disposed within the same plane and are disposed in a triangular arrangement.

Abstract: An autonomous delivery vehicle including locking storage containers may be used for item deliveries, rejections, returns, and/or third-party fulfillment. A delivery vehicle or robot may include a number of locking storage containers, an authorization interface, and one or more sensors to receive delivery requests, detect and authorize users, and control locker access at various delivery locations to allow users to receive delivered items, and reject or return items. The vehicle may also include a passenger compartment to transport one or more passengers. The vehicle may be reconfigurable to accommodate different combinations of lockers and/or passenger seats. An item delivery system may receive delivery requests and determine routes for delivery vehicles, including centralized delivery locations and/or direct deliveries to recipients.

Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle including: (a) an engagement device disposed between an engine and an electric motor; (b) a transmission disposed between the electric motor and drive wheels; (c) an electric storage device configured to supply an electric power to the electric motor; and (d) a control apparatus. When the engine is to be started, the engagement device is engaged to transmit a torque from the electric motor to the engine, for thereby starting the engine. The control apparatus is configured to inhibit stop of the engine, when an outputtable electric power outputtable from the electric storage device is not larger than a threshold value. The threshold value is not smaller than a start-case-required electric power that is required to start the engine, such that a difference value between the threshold value and the start-case-required electric power is not larger than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A control system includes a control apparatus and a plurality of robots. The control apparatus includes a function acquisition unit that acquires a function, a function form conversion unit that converts the function into a distributed calculable form, and a variable conversion unit that sets, based on the function which form is converted, variables to be stored by each of the robots and a process corresponding to the variables, to the robot. Each of the plurality of robots a consensus control means that updates a variable value stored by the robot itself based on the set variable while sending and receiving variable values among other communicable robots, and a function value inference means that infers a function value from the variable based on the set process.

Abstract: A travel time estimation system receives trip requests including pair of addresses and a desired time of travel. A processor is programmed to convert the addresses into grid points (Encoded Addresses—EAs) in an array of regularly spaced grid points in a Cartesian Coordinate system. The processor reads a record associated with the EA's to determine a covering grid point (Unique Encoded Address—UEA) associated with each EA, where the associated UEA is located no more than a predetermined maximum distance away from the EA. The processor accesses a second record associated with the pair of UEAs that references a location in a memory that stores estimated travel times between the UEAs at one or more requested trip times. The stored travel time between the UEAs at a time that closest matches the desired time of travel is returned by the processor as the estimated travel time between the addresses provided to the travel time estimation system.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle management system, an on-vehicle system, and a vehicle management method capable of providing a vehicle of which an odor level in the vehicle fulfills a predetermined criterion, to a user. The vehicle management system acquires a vehicle interior odor data output by an odor sensor arranged in the vehicle, and determines a type of a vehicle interior odor based on the vehicle interior odor data. The vehicle management system acquires an odor level to be associated with the type of the vehicle interior odor, from the vehicle interior odor data, and determines whether the odor level fulfills a predetermined criterion.

Abstract: In a robotic medical system comprising a staging kinematic chain coupled to a plurality of independently articulable robotic arms capable of motion with one or more degrees of freedom, a first configuration of robotic arms may be determined based on a first inverse kinematic model including the robotic arms and assuming a static staging kinematic chain. The first configuration may effectuate desired poses of instruments coupled to the robotic arms. A set of control parameter values associated with the robotic arms may be determined based on the first configuration, and, when a determined control parameter value falls outside a corresponding control parameter range, a staging kinematic chain pose and a second configuration of the robotic arms to effectuate the desired poses of the instruments may be determined. The second configuration is determined using a second inverse kinematic model that includes the robotic arms and assumes a mobile staging kinematic chain.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining a pre-defined roadmodel 2-dimensional (2D) manifold in 6D space, wherein the roadmodel 2D manifold in 6D space is pre-defined by transforming objects in a roadmodel from 3D space into 6D space, obtaining a current position of the vehicle and a target position of the vehicle on the horizontal plane; obtaining a piece of the roadmodel 2D manifold covering the current position and the target position; flattening the piece of the roadmodel represented by the piece of the roadmodel 2D manifold onto the horizontal plane while maintaining a distance between any two points from 3D space to the horizontal plane; and planning a trajectory for the vehicle from the current position to the target position in the flattened roadmodel on the horizontal plane.

Abstract: A robot includes: a communication unit that receives a remote operation instruction by a user terminal of a user; a body unit capable of traveling; a head unit attached to the body unit and capable of changing a direction; a camera; a control unit that controls the body unit, the head unit, and the camera, based on the operation instruction; and an operation switching input unit that switches between the operation instruction by the user terminal of the user and an operation instruction by a facility terminal of a facility user, and when switching the operation instruction, the operation switching input unit requests the user for whether to approve user switching, and when the user approves the user switching of the operation instruction via the user terminal, the operation switching input unit switches the operation instruction by the user terminal to the operation instruction by the facility terminal.

Abstract: A method for enabling a route for automated driving operation of a vehicle involves enabling a route ahead of the vehicle for automated driving operation of the vehicle if it is determined, using a digital map, which is used during automated driving operation for landmark-based localization of the vehicle, that there are landmarks present along the route which, with regard to their suitability for longitudinal and transverse localization of the vehicle, fulfil requirements which are predefined according to a course of the route.

Abstract: A robot calibration system includes a calibration fixture configured to be mounted on a substrate processing chamber. The calibration fixture includes at least one camera arranged to capture an image including an outer edge of a test substrate and an edge ring surrounding the test substrate. A controller is configured to receive the captured image, analyze the captured image to measure a distance between the outer edge of the test substrate and the edge ring, calculate a center of the test substrate based on the measured distance, and calibrate a robot configured to transfer substrate to and from the substrate processing chamber based on the calculated center of the test substrate.

Abstract: Generating a lane reference from a roadway shape and/or generating a trajectory for controlling an autonomous vehicle may include determining a predicted state of the lane reference and/or a candidate trajectory by an integrator. The disclosed integrator is implemented as a numerical integrator in predominantly closed-form that is able to avoid singularities while maintaining no approximation error. The disclosed integrator is also more robust to poor initial estimations, high curvature roadways, and zero-velocity conditions.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting and tracking objects using radar data are disclosed. The methods include receiving measurement data corresponding to an environment of a vehicle from a radar sensor associated with the vehicle, and identifying one or more object tracks of a plurality of object tracks that lie within an extended field of view (FOV) of the radar sensor. The extended FOV may be determined based on an original FOV of the radar sensor. The methods further include performing association of the measurement data with the one or more object tracks to identify an associated object track, and outputting the associated object track and the measurement data to a navigation system of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method is performed by a control device (100) of a first module (30, 40) of a vehicle (1), for electrically disconnecting the first module (30, 40) from a second module (30, 40) that is physically connected to the first module (30, 40), wherein the assembled vehicle (1) is configured to communicate with a control center (200). The method includes: identifying (s101) that the assembled vehicle (1) is ready to be disassembled; inactivating (s102) communication means (50) in the first module (30, 40) for establishing the electrical disconnection; and transmitting (s103) a verification of the electrical disconnection to the control center (200).

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and computer program product for directing a driver of an electric vehicle to a point of interest and a charging station in close proximity to the point of interest. The method includes the steps of: (a) receiving from a user a requested activity of interest; (b) identifying one or more points of interest matching the requested activity of interest and that are within a pre-determined point of interest range from the electric vehicle; (c) identifying charging stations within a pre-determined station distance from each of the identified points of interest; and (d) presenting to the user the identified points of interest having an identified charging station within the pre-determined station distance. The computer program is configured to perform the aforementioned steps.

Abstract: A computing system identifies a trajectory example generated by a human operator. The trajectory example includes trajectory information of the human operator while performing a task to be learned by a control system of the computing system. Based on the trajectory example, the computing system trains the control system to perform the task exemplified in the trajectory example. Training the control system includes generating an output trajectory of a robot performing the task. The computing system identifies an updated trajectory example generated by the human operator based on the trajectory example and the output trajectory of the robot performing the task. Based on the updated trajectory example, the computing system continues to train the control system to perform the task exemplified in the updated trajectory example.