Abstract: Molecular anti-counterfeiting taggants are made from a plurality of synthetic polynucleotides that collectively encode a bit sequence using the sequences and hybridization states of the polynucleotides. The polynucleotide taggant is placed on an item as a molecular identifier of authenticity. The bit sequence encoded by the polynucleotide taggant is read out using a substrate which has bound polynucleotides complexes that hybridize with the synthetic polynucleotides in the polynucleotide taggant. A detectable signal is present where hybridization occurs. To prevent a bad actor from reverse engineering and creating a copy of the polynucleotide taggant using the results of hybridization to the substrate, multiple versions of the substrate are created. Each version hybridizes to different subsets of the synthetic polynucleotides in the polynucleotide taggant. A detectable pattern on the substrate that is present when exposed to the polynucleotide taggant is used for validating authenticity of the item.

Abstract: A ground surface treatment vehicle and systems and methods using the same. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be adapted to autonomously or semi-autonomously identify and optionally treat target areas such as divots on turf surfaces. The vehicle may identify the target area via onboard or remote sensors and autonomously treat the target area by providing a treating material such as infill, seed, particulate matter, and liquids.

Abstract: A detachable camera assembly is securable to a cooking tool by means of magnets on a lower surface. The housing is offset from the cooking tool by the magnets and a shroud extends between a camera opening and the cooking tool with a seal at the end of the shroud. A fan draws air into the housing and expels part of the air through the shroud. A part of the air also flows through openings for allowing light to exit the housing from LEDs mounted within the housing. A controller within the housing captures and transmits images responsive to instructions received using a wireless transceiver.

Abstract: A system may include a vehicle for delivering items and a plurality of racks having a plurality of storage locations. The racks may be arranged to form one or more aisles. The vehicles are configured to drive horizontally along a path that may extend along a path under the racks that is parallel to the aisles. Additionally, the vehicles may be operated to turn while the vehicle is positioned under one of the racks. The vehicles may travel under the racks and cross one or more aisles to reach a particular column in one of the aisles. The vehicle climbs upwardly within the particular column to retrieve an item from a storage location in the column.

Abstract: The technology generally relates to providing search results that include a recommendation to install an application that can provide content relevant to the search query. A search query for content submitted by a user device may be received by a search server. The search server may identify an indexed web resource that satisfies the search query. The identified indexed web resource may be identified as being accessible by an application. The search server may determine the application is not installed on the user device. Based on determining the application is not installed on the user device, provide a link to an installation location for the application to the user device in response to the search query.

Abstract: Each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles defines a support surface for receiving an item to be sorted, and including a power source, a plurality of rotatable drive elements, a transfer mechanism, and at least one motor. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a controller to: assign available destination areas to respective orders to be fulfilled, acquire item characterizing data for items transferred to a vehicle, determine based on acquired item characterizing data that an item corresponds to an order, transmit an assigned destination area to the sortation system for each item determined to correspond to an order, and determine that an item transferred to a destination area is a final item of a group of items needed to complete an order. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a second controller to manage starting, stopping, and movement of each vehicle and operation of the transfer mechanism.

Abstract: A ground surface treatment vehicle and systems and methods using the same. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be adapted to autonomously or semi-autonomously identify and optionally treat target areas such as divots on turf surfaces. The vehicle may identify the target area via onboard or remote sensors and autonomously treat the target area by providing a treating material such as infill, seed, particulate matter, and liquids.

Abstract: A container exchange station for a material handling system is provided. The system may include a plurality of vehicles for retrieving items from a plurality of storage locations located in one or more racks. In an embodiment, the container exchange station is configured to accommodate the vehicles so that the vehicles drive into the container exchange station and drive upwardly along a track in the container exchange station. A transfer mechanism on the vehicle cooperates with a transfer mechanism on the container exchange station to displace an item from the vehicle to a conveyor. The container exchange station may include an elevator having a plurality of elevator platforms and a plurality of elevated buffer storage locations to and from which items can be inserted and retrieved by the elevator platforms for release to a workstation when required.

Abstract: Each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles defines a support surface for receiving an item to be sorted, and including a power source, a plurality of rotatable drive elements, a transfer mechanism, and at least one motor. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a controller to: assign available destination areas to respective orders to be fulfilled, acquire item characterizing data for items transferred to a vehicle, determine based on acquired item characterizing data that an item corresponds to an order, transmit an assigned destination area to the sortation system for each item determined to correspond to an order, and determine that an item transferred to a destination area is a final item of a group of items needed to complete an order. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a second controller to manage starting, stopping, and movement of each vehicle and operation of the transfer mechanism.

Abstract: A system may include a vehicle for delivering items and a moveable track that cooperates with the vehicle. The moveable track may cooperate with a storage system having storage locations for storing items. The vehicle may drive into the moveable track and lift the track using a vertical drive mechanism. The vehicle may include a horizontal drive system operable to drive the vehicle horizontally along the ground to carry the moveable track to a position adjacent the storage location. The vehicle may operate the vertical drive system to drop the moveable track adjacent the storage system. Additionally, the vehicle may operate the vertical drive to drive up the moveable track to an elevated position adjacent one of the storage locations in the storage system. The vehicle may include a transfer mechanism for transferring items between the vehicle and the storage location while the vehicle is in the elevated position.

Abstract: Molecular taggants are used to label items with binary barcodes. Molecular taggants may use presence encoding with the presence or absence of a particular molecule representing a 0 or 1. Molecular taggants may alternatively use hybridization encoding where the hybridization of a second strand to a polynucleotide represents a 0 or 1. If multiple such molecular taggants are combined, this leads to a bitwise OR operation that may make it impossible to correctly identify the original binary barcodes. To address this problem, superimposed encoding is applied to the design of the binary barcodes. The superimposed encoding identifies a set of valid binary barcodes that can be uniquely identified from a sample comprising a mixture molecular taggants. One way of doing this is to generate a Hadamard matrix and use the values of entries in the matrix as one of the binary barcodes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A material handling system includes storage locations disposed in racks and a track having a vertical section adjacent one of the racks. A plurality of material handling vehicles are provided, each including a horizontal drive for driving the vehicle horizontally, a vertical drive for driving the vehicle vertically, and a mechanism for transferring items onto or off the vehicle. A vehicle accessory has an opening configured to cooperate with the vehicles. A central controller may be programmed to provide control signals to determine whether a mode of operation to perform an inventory management task is a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation. The central controller may then control the operation of one of the vehicles to operate without the vehicle accessory in a first mode or with the accessory in the second mode.

Abstract: This disclosure provides an autonomous machine system having a scheduling controller configured to determine one or more windows of availability over a time period when the autonomous machine is allowed to operate to perform one or more operational tasks; determine a total operation time over the time period; and determine an operating schedule for a work region that assigns one or more operational tasks to the one or more windows of availability based on the total operation time. The autonomous machine may be commanded to operate in the work region according to the operating schedule.

Abstract: Molecular anti-counterfeiting taggants are made from a plurality of synthetic polynucleotides that collectively encode a bit sequence using the sequences and hybridization states of the polynucleotides. The polynucleotide taggant is placed on an item as a molecular identifier of authenticity. The bit sequence encoded by the polynucleotide taggant is read out using a substrate which has bound polynucleotides complexes that hybridize with the synthetic polynucleotides in the polynucleotide taggant. A detectable signal is present where hybridization occurs. To prevent a bad actor from reverse engineering and creating a copy of the polynucleotide taggant using the results of hybridization to the substrate, multiple versions of the substrate are created. Each version hybridizes to different subsets of the synthetic polynucleotides in the polynucleotide taggant. A detectable pattern on the substrate that is present when exposed to the polynucleotide taggant is used for validating authenticity of the item.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A data pod release system includes a base frame with a mooring weight, a central column with one or more central pod attachments and an electronic pod, one or more data pod attachments, and one or more electrical connections. The electronic pod encases a master electronic underwater housing unit with master electronics to control the data pod release system. The one or more data pod attachments attach one or more data pods to the central column, have a data pod release mechanism, and include electrical connections from master electronics to each data pod attachment. The data pod release system also includes data pods, underwater housing units, electronic storage devices, and sensors. The data pods are attached to the base frame via the data pod attachment. Each underwater housing unit is encased in the data pod. Each electronic storage device is enclosed within the underwater housing unit.

Abstract: A system for use with an autonomous working machine such as a robotic lawn mower. The system may allow communication (directly or indirectly) between the machine and a gate or other barrier opening to allow unattended or remotely-controlled passage of the machine through the gate. In some embodiments, the mower may include a vision system operable to detect unknown objects within an area adjacent to the gate.

Abstract: A workstation for a material handling system is provided. The system may include a plurality of vehicles for retrieving items from a plurality of storage locations located in one or more racks. The workstation is configured to accommodate the vehicles so that the vehicles drive into the workstation and drive upwardly along a track in the workstation. In one configuration, the track is configured to tilt the vehicle at a predetermined angle relative to the horizon as the vehicle is driven upwardly. After the vehicle is tilted to the predetermined angle the vehicle continues to drive upwardly while maintaining the predetermined angle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting or retrieving items to/from a plurality of destinations areas. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles follow a path to/from the destination areas that are positioned along the path. Along the path, the vehicles are scanned to determine if any item on the vehicles extends beyond a dimensional constraint. If it is determined that an item on a vehicle extends above the pre-determined threshold, the vehicle is controlled, such as by stopping or re-directing the vehicle. Once at the appropriate destination area, an item is transferred between the delivery vehicle and the destination area.