Abstract: A robot for delivering items within a building or within a prescribed radius of a building are provided.

Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a personal robotic system, comprising: an electromechanical mobile base defining a cross-sectional envelope when viewed in a plane substantially parallel to a plane of a floor upon which the mobile base is operated; a torso assembly movably coupled to the mobile base; a head assembly movably coupled to the torso; a releasable bin-capturing assembly movably coupled to the torso; and a controller operatively coupled to the mobile base, torso assembly, head assembly, and bin-capturing assembly, and configured to capture a bin with the bin-capturing assembly and move the torso assembly relative to the mobile base so that the captured bin fits as closely as possible within the cross-sectional envelope of the mobile base.

Abstract: A method for constraining movements of a robot comprises: using the robot, receiving dynamic building data that describes a temporary condition of a building or campus comprising a set of buildings and a location of the temporary condition; using the robot, updating, from the dynamic building data, a map layer of a plurality of map layers of a map by calculating an increased cost of navigation of the portion of the map layer corresponding to the location of the temporary condition, the increased cost based on the description of the temporary condition; using the robot, upon receiving a task having an origin location and a destination location, determining a fastest route from the origin location to the destination location from the plurality of map layers of the map using a graph search algorithm that calculates an expected velocity of the robot over the portion of the map layer corresponding to the location of the temporary condition; using the robot, traversing the fastest route from the origin location to

Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a personal robotic system, comprising: an electromechanical mobile base defining a cross-sectional envelope when viewed in a plane substantially parallel to a plane of a floor upon which the mobile base is operated; a torso assembly movably coupled to the mobile base; a head assembly movably coupled to the torso; a releasable bin-capturing assembly movably coupled to the torso; and a controller operatively coupled to the mobile base, torso assembly, head assembly, and bin-capturing assembly, and configured to capture a bin with the bin-capturing assembly and move the torso assembly relative to the mobile base so that the captured bin fits as closely as possible within the cross-sectional envelope of the mobile base.

Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a personal robotic system, comprising: an electromechanical mobile base defining a cross-sectional envelope when viewed in a plane substantially parallel to a plane of a floor upon which the mobile base is operated; a torso assembly movably coupled to the mobile base; a head assembly movably coupled to the torso; a releasable bin-capturing assembly movably coupled to the torso; and a controller operatively coupled to the mobile base, torso assembly, head assembly, and bin-capturing assembly, and configured to capture a bin with the bin-capturing assembly and move the torso assembly relative to the mobile base so that the captured bin fits as closely as possible within the cross-sectional envelope of the mobile base.

Abstract: A system can include at least one robot configured to autonomously navigate from a first location to a destination zone, the at least one robot having a generally cylindrical shape and including a storage container for storing at least one item for delivery, a plurality of image based depth sensor mounted proximate a top end of the robot, and a controller configured to navigate to the destination zone and to authenticate a delivery target for the item.

Abstract: A system can include at least one robot configured to autonomously navigate from a first location to a destination zone, the at least one robot having a generally cylindrical shape and including a storage container for storing at least one item for delivery, a plurality of image based depth sensor mounted proximate a top end of the robot, and a controller configured to navigate to the destination zone and to authenticate a delivery target for the item.

Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a personal robotic system, comprising: an electromechanical mobile base defining a cross-sectional envelope when viewed in a plane substantially parallel to a plane of a floor upon which the mobile base is operated; a torso assembly movably coupled to the mobile base; a head assembly movably coupled to the torso; a releasable bin-capturing assembly movably coupled to the torso; and a controller operatively coupled to the mobile base, torso assembly, head assembly, and bin-capturing assembly, and configured to capture a bin with the bin-capturing assembly and move the torso assembly relative to the mobile base so that the captured bin fits as closely as possible within the cross-sectional envelope of the mobile base.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing files securely includes server software on a first device configured to communicate with server software operating on one or more other preauthorized devices, such as a second device. The servers communicate with each other securely using cryptographic information exchanged during a preauthorization phase using a range-limited communication channel. The server on the first device obtains file information from the other preauthorized device(s) and combines the information with local file information from the first device. This combined file information is sent to client software operating on the machine, which presents the combined file information to users.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing files securely includes server software on a first device configured to communicate with server software operating on one or more other preauthorized devices, such as a second device. The servers communicate with each other securely using cryptographic information exchanged during a preauthorization phase using a range-limited communication channel. The server on the first device obtains file information from the other preauthorized device(s) and combines the information with local file information from the first device. This combined file information is sent to client software operating on the machine, which presents the combined file information to users.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing files securely includes server software on a first device configured to communicate with server software operating on one or more other preauthorized devices, such as a second device. The servers communicate with each other securely using cryptographic information exchanged during a preauthorization phase using a range-limited communication channel. The server on the first device obtains file information from the other preauthorized device(s) and combines the information with local file information from the first device. This combined file information is sent to client software operating on the machine, which presents the combined file information to users.

Abstract: Allowing annotations to occur remotely from the device in which they are viewed enables the optimal viewing device and optimal annotation device for generating annotations. Specifically, the annotation systems allow a user to associate annotations with one or more portions of an object. An object identifier is created to identify one or more objects. This object identifier is then forwarded to the annotation device. On the annotation device, the user can associate annotations with a portion of the object based on either a textual or a graphical technique. Upon completion of the annotations, the system synchronizes the annotations with the object based on the object identifier and the selection portion.

Abstract: The invention facilitates and enhances review of a body of information (that can be represented by a set of audio data, video data, text data or some combination of the three), enabling the body of information to be quickly reviewed to obtain an overview of the content of the body of information and allowing flexibility in the manner in which the body of information is reviewed. In a particular application of the invention, the content of audiovisual news programs is acquired from a first set of one or more information sources (e.g., television news programs) and text news stories are acquired from a second set of one or more information sources (e.g., on-line news services or news wire services). In such a particular application, the invention can enable the user to access the news stories of audiovisual news programs in a random manner so that the user can move quickly among news stories or news programs.

Abstract: A diacritic chording system uses a single standard keyboard layout to generate diacritical characters used, for example, by Latin-based languages or languages based on a Roman character set, providing a universal keyboard The key combination required to select a diacritic is consistent, independent of the language the user is typing. The diacritic chording system uses chording to obtain characters modified by diacritics, i.e., diacritical characters. The key combinations in the diacritic chord are chosen in such a way to aid memorization by positional association of the keys or by logic association of the keys within the diacritic chord. The use of a combination of positional association and logical association eliminates conflicts in mapping diacritics for different languages. The diacritic chording system also provides a screen overlay as a mnemonic to illustrate which diacritic chords provide the desired diacritical character.

Abstract: A location-limited channel is implemented using physical exchanges of physical tokens. The physical tokens are implemented using writeable or re-writeable storage media. Location-limited channels, when used to implement pre-authentication protocols, provide demonstrative identification and authenticity. A group originator loads pre-authentication information and a network location from a communication device onto the location-limited physical token channel. The location-limited physical token channel is passed to another participant, who copies the originator's pre-authentication information and location onto that participant's communication device. That participant then adds that participant's own pre-authentication information and network location onto the location-limited physical token channel. This is repeated until the last participant passes the location-limited physical token channel back to the group originator.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing files securely includes server software on a first device configured to communicate with server software operating on one or more other preauthorized devices, such as a second device. The servers communicate with each other securely using cryptographic information exchanged during a preauthorization phase using a range-limited communication channel. The server on the first device obtains file information from the other preauthorized device(s) and combines the information with local file information from the first device. This combined file information is sent to client software operating on the machine, which presents the combined file information to users.