Abstract: A method includes determining a movement of a robot arm in which a joint while being rotated from a start angle to an end angle, is subject to a constant gravity-induced torque; controlling execution of the movement, and, in the movement, controlling the joint to rotate from the start angle to the end angle at a constant speed; detecting speed fluctuations of the joint while it is being rotated from the start angle to the end angle; and estimating the kinematic error based on the speed fluctuations.

Abstract: A method for modeling a working environment of a robot comprising providing a robot having a base, a reference point, a plurality of links by which the reference point is movably connected to the base, and sensors for detecting positions of or angles between the links, providing a controller adapted to associate a position of the reference point to detected positions or angles between of the links, installing the base in a working environment which is delimited by at least one surface, moving the reference point to at least one sample point of the at least one surface, determining the position of the sample point from positions of or angles between the links detected while the reference point is at the sample point, and inferring the position of the surface from the determined position.

Abstract: A robotic system includes a moveable component, a controller, and an environment sensor for monitoring at least a region of the operating range, the environment sensor comprising a camera configured to deliver a 2D image of a field of view of the camera and a TOF device for measuring a distance between the environment sensor and an object in the field of view based on propagation time of a polling signal from the TOF device to the object and back; wherein an optical element for redirecting the field of view to the region is provided in a light path between the region and the environment sensor.

Abstract: A method of responsive robot path planning implemented in a robot controller, including: providing a plurality of potential motion paths of a robot manipulator, wherein the potential motion paths are functionally equivalent with regard to at least one initial or final condition, a transportation task and/or a workpiece processing task; causing an operator interface to visualize the potential motion paths, wherein the operator interface is associated with an operator sharing a workspace with the robot manipulator; obtaining operator behavior during the visualization; and selecting at least one preferred motion path based on the operator behavior. A method in an operator interface, including obtaining from a robot controller a plurality of potential motion paths of the robot manipulator; visualizing the potential motion paths; sensing operator behavior during the visualization; and making the operator behavior available to the robot controller.

Abstract: A method of handling safety of an industrial robot in a workspace, the method including providing a geometric region by a monitoring system, where the geometric region is defined in relation to the industrial robot and/or in relation to the workspace, and where the geometric region is associated with at least one condition for being fulfilled by the industrial robot; communicating the geometric region from the monitoring system to a robot control system of the industrial robot; determining a movement of the industrial robot by the robot control system based on the geometric region and the at least one condition; executing the movement by the industrial robot; and monitoring, by the monitoring system, the execution of the movement with respect to the geometric region and the at least one condition.

Abstract: A method for controlling displacement of a robot from an initial pose to a target pose includes providing a movement command, which specifies at least the target pose and an nominal path to be followed from the initial pose to the target pose; associating with the command an allowed deviation from the nominal path; identifying a real path that deviates from the nominal path by no more than the allowed deviation; and controlling the robot to move along said real path.

Abstract: A method for trajectory planning in a robotic system comprising at least two robotic units includes a state vector of each robotic unit, which comprises position components and velocity components and is variable with time and independently from input into every other robotic unit. A trajectory defines the motion of said robotic units from an initial state to a final state and is determined by finding the trajectory that minimizes a predetermined cost function. The cost function is set to be a function of the state vectors of all robotic units, and is minimized under a constraint which defines a vector difference between at least the position components of the state vectors of said robotic units at an instant of said trajectory.