Patents by Inventor Stefan Schaal

Stefan Schaal has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11472025
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using a demonstration device for robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes generating, by a demonstration device for a robot, a representation of a sequence of states input by a user of the demonstration device. The representation is provided by the demonstration device to a robot execution system. The representation of the sequence of actions is translated into a plurality of robot commands corresponding to the representation of the sequence of states input by the user on the demonstration device. The plurality of robot commands corresponding to the sequence of actions input by the user on the demonstration device are executed. Demonstration data is generated from one or more sensor streams of the robot while executing the plurality of robot commands corresponding to the sequence of actions input by the user on the demonstration device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Intrinsic Innovation LLC
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20210362331
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using skill templates for robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes receiving a skill template for a task to be performed by a robot, wherein the skill template defines a state machine having a plurality of subtasks and one or more respective transition conditions between one or more of the subtasks. Local demonstration data for a demonstration subtask of the skill template is received, where the local demonstration data is generated from a user demonstrating how to perform the demonstration subtask with the robot. A machine learning model is refined for the demonstration subtask and the skill template is executed on the robot, causing the robot to transition through the state machine defined by the skill template to perform the task.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Benjamin M. Davis, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20210362330
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for distributing skill templates for robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes receiving, from the user device by a skill template distribution system, a selection of an available skill template. The skill template distribution system provides a skill template, wherein the skill template comprises information representing a state machine of one or more tasks, and wherein the skill template specifies which of the one or more tasks are demonstration subtasks requiring local demonstration data. The skill template distribution system trains a machine learning model for the demonstration subtask using a local demonstration data to generate learned parameter values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Benjamin M. Davis, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20210362329
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for integrating sensor streams for robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes selecting, by a learning system for a robot, a base update rate for combining multiple sensor streams into a task state representation. The learning system repeatedly generates the task state representation at the base update rate, including combining, during each time period defined by the update rate, the task state representation from most recently updated sensor data processed by the plurality of neural networks. The learning system repeatedly uses the task state representations to generate commands for the robot at the base update rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Benjamin M. Davis, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20210362333
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using simulated local demonstration data for robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes receiving perceptual data of a workcell of a robot to be configured to execute a task according to a skill template, wherein the skill template specifies one or more subtasks required to perform the skill, wherein at least one of the subtasks is a demonstration subtask that relies on learning visual characteristics of the workcell. A virtual model is generated of a portion of the workcell. A training system generates simulated local demonstration data from the virtual model of the portion of the workcell and tunes a base control policy for the demonstration subtask using the simulated local demonstration data generated from the virtual model of the portion of the workcell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Benjamin M. Davis, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20210362328
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using a demonstration device for robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes generating, by a demonstration device for a robot, a representation of a sequence of states input by a user of the demonstration device. The representation is provided by the demonstration device to a robot execution system. The representation of the sequence of actions is translated into a plurality of robot commands corresponding to the representation of the sequence of states input by the user on the demonstration device. The plurality of robot commands corresponding to the sequence of actions input by the user on the demonstration device are executed. Demonstration data is generated from one or more sensor streams of the robot while executing the plurality of robot commands corresponding to the sequence of actions input by the user on the demonstration device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20210362327
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for distributed robotic demonstration learning. One of the methods includes receiving a skill template to be trained to cause a robot to perform a particular skill having a plurality of subtasks. One or more demonstration subtasks defined by the skill template are identified, wherein each demonstration subtask is an action to be refined using local demonstration data. On online execution system uploads sets of local demonstration data to a cloud-based training system. The cloud-based training system generates respective trained model parameters for each set of local demonstration data. The skill template is executed on the robot using the trained model parameters generated by the cloud-based training system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bala Venkata Sai Ravi Krishna Kolluri, Stefan Schaal, Benjamin M. Davis, Ralf Oliver Michael Schönherr, Ning Ye
  • Publication number: 20200316652
    Abstract: A method for cleaning at least one workpiece and a cleaning device are described. The method includes: cleaning at least one workpiece held by a workpiece carrier in a treatment container, by at least one nozzle which discharges a cleaning jet directed onto the workpiece. The cleaning includes: specifying a rotational speed of the workpiece carrier and a circulation speed of the at least one nozzle on a circulation track about the workpiece carrier; rotating the workpiece carrier at the specified rotational speed; moving the at least one nozzle at the specified circulation speed about the workpiece carrier; and pivoting the at least one nozzle about a pivoting axis extending parallel to an axis of rotation of the workpiece carrier such that a specified point on a surface of the workpiece is impacted repeatedly by the cleaning jet at a respectively different angle, within a specified timeframe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Schaal, Steffen Haas