Abstract: Surgical systems and methods are disclosed, including, in one embodiment, a system having a coupling system disposed on a distal end portion of a surgical robot arm that secures a navigation array to the robot arm in a plurality of different orientations. The system further includes a navigation system configured to determine a precise location of the distal end portion by measuring a precise location of the navigation array by visually observing the navigation array, receiving a location of the coupling system via one or more encoders in the robot arm, determining the orientation of the navigation array relative to the robot arm based on the visual observation of the navigation array and the received location of the coupling system, and determining the precise location of the distal end portion of the surgical robot arm based on a known spatial relationship between the distal end portion and the coupling system.

Abstract: A communication device includes a communicator that is mounted in a mobile body and functions as a wireless access point, a power supplier configured to supply electric power at least to a driver that causes the mobile body to travel, a detector configured to detect the electric energy of the power supplier, and a controller configured to control at least one of communication strength and communication quality of the communicator based on the electric energy detected by the detector.

Abstract: There is provided mechanisms for AD, or at least ADAS, aided manoeuvring of a vehicle. A method includes selecting between using a CRLS based positioning system and a GNSS based positioning system for aiding manoeuvring of the vehicle. Which positioning system to select is based on comparing a first error determined for the CRLS based positioning system to a second error determined for the GNSS based positioning system. The positioning system with smallest error is selected. The method comprises aiding the manoeuvring of the vehicle using the selected positioning system. The manoeuvring pertains to reversing of the vehicle.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to interactive voice navigation. In particular, a computing system can provide audio information including one or more navigation instructions to a user via a computing system associated with the user. The computing system can activate an audio sensor associated with the computing system. The computing system can collect, using the audio sensor, audio data associated with the user. The computing system can determine, based on the audio data, whether the audio data is associated with one or more navigation instructions. The computing system can, in accordance with a determination that the audio data is associated with one or more navigation instructions, determine a context-appropriate audio response. The computing system can provide the context-appropriate audio response to the user.

Abstract: A drone backpack includes a housing with a harness that attaches to a main body of a drone without modification of the drone. A boom couples with the harness to position a display module in a field of view of a forward-facing camera of the drone. A compute component is located within the housing and includes at least one processor and memory storing machine-readable instructions that are executable by the processor to output information on a screen of the display module. The information is captured by the forward-facing camera of the drone and included in a live video feed transmitted from the drone. The backpack may also include an effector, controllable via the compute component sensing a light status of the drone, and one or more sensors. The backpack augments the drone to enable one or more of a combat game, aerial labelling, low-cost one-time use, and STE(A)M.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for open path laser spectroscopy with mobile platforms. An example system may include a first mobile platform and a second mobile platform, each of which supports a payload. A light beam directed from one payload to another may define a measurement path, which may be at a particular height above the ground. The payloads may determine a gas concentration along the measurement path. Wind information at the measurement height may be used to determine a gas flux. One or both of the mobile platforms may then move to a new location, and take a measurement along a new measurement path. By combining the measurement paths, gas flux through a flux surface may be determined.

Abstract: Included are: a unit that receives an indicated read range for an identification tag being affixed to one of devices installed in a train and storing an individual information item identifying the device; a unit that obtains a design information item indicating a model number of a device within the indicated read range and an installation position of the device with the model number in vehicles of the train; a unit that obtains a model number information item indicating a relationship between the model number and the individual information item; a reader that reads an individual information item of the device stored in an identification tag; and a unit that ascertains a model number of the device having the individual information item read and associates the installation position with the individual information item of the device having the model number when the device ascertained is present in the read range.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to providing a centralized controller for actuators within electronic control systems of a vehicle. An electronic control system within a vehicle computer system, having a first actuator for performing a first vehicle function, a second actuator for a performing second vehicle function and a controller coupled to the first actuator and the second actuator for controlling the first and second actuators is provided such that the controller is not embedded in either the first or second actuator. Embodiments of a centralized controller and a non-transitory machine-readable medium on which a program is stored for providing instructions to a controller that may utilize the 1-Wire® and/or PoE protocols are also provided. Advantages include, but are not limited to centralized manufacturing, simplified diagnostics, and streamlined software upgrades, all of which result in reduce costs.

Abstract: A navigation planning device configured to receive a navigation start point, a navigation destination point for a navigation route of at least one of a vessel or an aircraft, and a plurality of waypoints between the navigation start point and the navigation destination point, where the plurality of waypoints may be received in at least one of random order or in sequential order. The navigation planning device is configured to determine a positional relationship between the plurality of waypoints, and determine at least one indicator data corresponding to at least one waypoint data of the plurality of waypoints, based on the positional relationship between the plurality of waypoints. The navigation planning device is further configured to output the at least one waypoint data and the corresponding at least one indicator data for the navigation route to a display.

Abstract: To provide a vehicle drive device capable of effectively driving a vehicle by using in-wheel motors without falling into the vicious cycle between enhancement of driving via the motors and an increase in vehicle weight. The present invention is a vehicle drive device that uses in-wheel motors to drive a vehicle and includes in-wheel motors (20) that are provided in wheels (2b) of a vehicle (1) and drive the wheels, a body side motor (16) that is provided in a body of the vehicle and drives the wheels of the vehicle, and a battery (18) and a capacitor (22) that supply electric power for driving the in-wheel motors and/or the body side motor, in which a voltage of the battery is applied to the body side motor and a voltage of the battery and the capacitor connected in series is applied to the in-wheel motors.

Abstract: A vision-aided inertial navigation system (VINS) comprises an image source for producing image data along a trajectory. The VINS further comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to produce IMU data indicative of motion of the VINS and an odometry unit configured to produce odometry data. The VINS further comprises a processor configured to compute, based on the image data, the IMU data, and the odometry data, state estimates for a position and orientation of the VINS for poses of the VINS along the trajectory. The processor maintains a state vector having states for a position and orientation of the VINS and positions within the environment for observed features for a sliding window of poses. The processor applies a sliding window filter to compute, based on the odometry data, constraints between the poses within the sliding window and compute, based on the constraints, the state estimates.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for allowing vehicles access or egress from a dedicated roadway. In some implementations, a system includes a server, an interface, and sensors. The interface receives data from a railroad system that manages a railroad running parallel to a first roadway. The sensors are positioned in a location relative to the first and second roadway. Each sensor can detect vehicles on the second roadway. For each detected vehicle, each sensor can generate first sensor data based on the detected vehicle and the data received at the interface. Second sensor data can be generated based on activities on the first roadway. Observational data can be generated based on the first and second sensor data. An instruction can be determined to allow the detected vehicle access to the first roadway. The instruction can be transmitted to the detected vehicle.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides action imitation method as well as a robot and a computer readable storage medium using the same. The method includes: collecting at least a two-dimensional image of a to-be-imitated object; obtaining two-dimensional coordinates of each key point of the to-be-imitated object in the two-dimensional image and a pairing relationship between the key points of the to-be-imitated object; converting the two-dimensional coordinates of the key points of the to-be-imitated object in the two-dimensional image into space three-dimensional coordinates corresponding to the key points of the to-be-imitated object through a pre-trained first neural network model, and generating an action control instruction of a robot based on the space three-dimensional coordinates corresponding to the key points of the to-be-imitated object and the pairing relationship between the key points, where the action control instruction is for controlling the robot to imitate an action of the to-be-imitated object.

Abstract: A learning apparatus includes an input unit configured to input route information indicating a route including one or more paths of a plurality of paths and moving body number information indicating the number of moving bodies for a date and a time on a path to be observed among the plurality of paths, and a learning unit configured to learn a parameter of a model indicating a relationship between the number of moving bodies for each of the plurality of paths and the number of moving bodies for the route and a relationship between the numbers of moving bodies for the route at different dates and times by using the route information and the moving body number information.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for ground control point assignment and determination. One of the methods includes receiving information describing a flight plan for the UAV to implement, the flight plan identifying one or more waypoints associated with geographic locations assigned as ground control points. A first waypoint identified in the flight plan is traveled to, and an action to designate a surface at the associated geographic location is designated as a ground control point. Location information associated with the designated surface is stored. The stored location information is provided to an outside system for storage.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for configuring and controlling an automated vehicle to perform user specified operations. User vehicle control programs are loaded in an unmanned vehicle to control the unmanned vehicle to perform a user specified operation. The loading the user vehicle control programs replaces base vehicle control programs in the unmanned vehicle. There is communication with the unmanned vehicle to execute the user vehicle control programs to control the unmanned vehicle to perform the user specified operation. The base vehicle control programs are loaded into the unmanned vehicle to replace the user vehicle control programs to return control of the unmanned vehicle to a vehicle provider after performing the user specified operation.

Abstract: A map data updating device comprises a communication unit, a memory, and a processor configured to store map data, received from a server through the communication unit before the vehicle has begun to travel, in the memory as initial map data, and to send a request to the server through the communication unit for update information representing information updated from the initial map data for each of a plurality of road zones within the scheduled route, from among the information associated with the road zones in the map data updated at the server, and to use the update information received through the communication unit to update the initial map data, after the vehicle has begun to travel along the scheduled route.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling autonomous driving of a vehicle which may derive predicted paths of a pedestrian and a two-wheel vehicle during autonomous driving of the vehicle so as to minimize accidents. The method includes calculating first height information allocating a first gradient that descends in a proceeding direction of objects, including a vehicle and a pedestrian, from respective positions of the objects based on dynamic information of the objects, calculating second height information allocating a second gradient based on a probability that the pedestrian will occupy infrastructure, calculating final height information by fusing the first height information and the second height information, generating a predicted path of the pedestrian, determining a driving strategy of a host vehicle based on a predicted path of the host vehicle and the predicted path of the pedestrian.

Abstract: A tire surface managing method, comprising: emitting detecting light to a target object on a surface of a tire; receiving reflected detecting light from the target object and from the surface adjacent to the target object; determining whether the target object protrudes according to a distance calculated according to the reflected detecting light from the target object and a distance calculated according to the reflected detecting light from the surface; determining whether the target object forms a hole on the surface according to the distance calculated according to the reflected detecting light from the target object and the distance calculated according to the reflected detecting light from the surface; receiving the reflected detecting light from the surface to calculate a width of the hole on the tire; and activating a protection mechanism for a vehicle comprising the tire if the width is larger than a width threshold.

Abstract: An information processing device includes a control unit configured to acquire information of a position and information of a travelable range of a vehicle which travels using a battery as an energy source, to extract a charging station located within the travelable range from the position out of a plurality of charging stations, to extract a spot which is able to be visited in a state in which the vehicle stops in the extracted charging station out of a plurality of spots, and to transmit information of the extracted spot along with information of the extracted charging station.