Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to robot perception extensibility. In certain aspects, a robot maintains perception data that represents its understanding of its surroundings. The perception data relates to a variety of objects and comprises information generated by a variety of components, such as sensors and software processes. In order to extend the perception capabilities of the robot, an extensibility interface is provided, which enables an extensibility device to annotate objects and to provide new objects to the robot based on the additional perception data generated by the extensibility device. As a result of incorporating the objects from the extensibility device into the perception data of the robot, the additional perception data of the extensibility device is available to software executing on the robot without requiring the additional effort typically necessary to extend the capabilities of such a device.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to robot memory management techniques. In certain aspects, a robot generates a disposition representing a time slice of the robot's understanding of the world. The robot repeatedly generates new dispositions as time progresses, thereby updating entries within the disposition as changes occur over time. Changes are evaluated based on various thresholds or other criteria to determine whether to memorialize them for later reference. Memorialized changes are used to supplement a disposition, such that the disposition comprises not only current information, but also historical information. Similarly, a disposition is supplemented based on an ontology, such that objects and relationships of the ontology are used to identify instances of such objects and relationships within the disposition. As a result, the robot is able to recall historical information and to use ontological knowledge of the world to generate a richer view of the world.