Abstract: A robot is obtained having various functions that are demanded for planetary landing vehicles, extreme operations robots or the like, in particular to provide a leg structure for a robot that is capable of getting up itself when overturned, facilitating take-off and landing on uneven ground, and that has a walking function and that has a hand function capable of three-dimensional operation. A robot comprises a main robot body and at least three legs mounted on this main body for enabling three-dimensional movement of the main robot body such as a self-erecting action or walking action; each leg is constituted by a multi-joint arm having a plurality of said offset rotary joints linked together and has a ground-engaging member mounted at the leading end of the arm, so that each leg is capable of independently controlled three-dimensional movement and drive.

Abstract: A floor shape estimation system for a legged mobile robot, in particular a biped walking robot, which estimates a floor shape, more specifically a foot-to-foot floor inclination difference based on at least a control error of the total floor reaction force's moment and based on the estimated value and corrects a feet compensating angle based on the estimated value. Further, the system estimates a floor shape, more specifically a foot floor inclination difference based on at least a control error of the foot floor reaction force about a desired foot floor reaction force central point and corrects a foot compensating angle based on the estimated value. With this, it can accurately estimate the shape of a floor with which the robot is in contact. Further, if the floor shape is different from what has been supposed, it can produce the floor reaction force as desired by absorbing the influence of difference.

Abstract: A system and method of mobile telepresencing includes providing a surrogate capable of viewing outward and of translational movement, displaying the views outward for a user and sensing rotation of a user in a direction of a view outward and a user translation instruction for causing translation of the surrogate in the direction relative to the view outward.

Abstract: A portable operation section of a controller has an impact sensor. When the controller receives an impact due to the drop or the like of the portable operation section, the impact sensor outputs an impact detection signal to the control section. Upon receiving this impact detection signal, the control section ignores any signal from the portable operation section and thus does not use this signal for the control of the drive of the mechanism section of a machine tool or a robot.

Abstract: A robot apparatus which may be turned to a sound source direction by a spontaneous whole-body concerted operation. With the possible range of rotation of the neck unit of a robot apparatus 1 of ±Y° and with the relative angle of the direction of a sound source S to the front side of the robot apparatus 1 of X°, the entire body trunk unit of the robot apparatus 1 is rotated through (X?Y)°, using the leg units, while the neck joint yaw axis of the robot apparatus is rotated through Y° to the direction of the sound source S, so that the robot apparatus is turned to the direction of the sound source S.

Abstract: An alignment apparatus for substrates comprises a first movement mechanism moving a substrate to be treated in a horizontal direction, a second movement mechanism moving the substrate in a vertical direction, a rotation mechanism rotating the substrate in a substrate plane, an illumination tool irradiating the substrate from a sidewise direction in a state where the substrate is held in a desired height position by the second movement mechanism, an image sensor picking up an image on a back surface of the substrate in an irradiated state, an edge position sensor sensing plural edge positions of the substrate from an image obtained by the image sensor, and a control computer obtaining a positional shift of the substrate based on the edge positions sensed by the edge position sensor and correcting a positional shift of the horizontal and rotation directions by the first movement and rotation mechanisms.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot controls the posture of the body thereof in a stable manner using a ZMP stability determination criterion with a relatively long sampling period. The legged mobile robot has a stable ZMP region which is a supporting polygon formed of the ground contact point of a sole of a movable leg and a walking surface, and a ZMP behavior space in which a momentum of the robot body is generated so that the ZMP shifts to the approximate center of the stable ZMP region. In the ZMP behavior space, the momentum of the robot shifts in a positive direction or in a negative direction. In the negative direction, a space distortion shifts the ZMP to the periphery of the stable region, and in the positive direction, a space distortion shifts the ZMP to the center of the stable region.

Abstract: A control circuit of a tray changer is interfaced with a control circuit of a robot. A tray changer control program, used for operating the tray changer, is loaded into the robot control system. The robot control system itself, or an operator manipulating an operating terminal of the robot, controls or operates the tray changer according to the tray changer control program loaded in the robot control system.

Abstract: A main robot apparatus generates a sound scale command at a command generating state (ST2) to enter into a state of waiting for a reaction of a slave robot apparatus (ST3). When the slave robot apparatus outputs a emotion expressing sound responsive to a sound scale command issued by the main robot apparatus, the main robot apparatus recognizes this emotion expressing sound to output the same emotion expressing sound. In a state of the reaction action (ST4), the main robot apparatus selects an action (NumResponse), depending on the value of the variable NumResponse which has counted the number of times of the reactions to output the action.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for user and participant telepresencing including viewing a user from a plurality of views to obtain an image of a user, communicating the image of the user to a surrogate, and displaying the image of the user on the surrogate with eye contact between the user and the participant preserved.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus that provide a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for a robot are disclosed. A HAL can reside as a software layer or as a firmware layer residing between robot control software and underlying robot hardware and/or an operating system for the hardware. The HAL provides a relatively uniform abstract for aggregates of underlying hardware such that the underlying robotic hardware is transparent to perception and control software, i.e., robot control software. This advantageously permits robot control software to be written in a robot-independent manner. Developers of robot control software are then freed from tedious lower level tasks. Portability is another advantage. For example, the HAL efficiently permits robot control software developed for one robot to be ported to another. In one example, the HAL permits the same navigation algorithm to be ported from a wheeled robot and used on a humanoid legged robot.

Abstract: A multiple degree-of-freedom ultra-precision (DOF) robotic system yielding either rigid body guidance or large deformation analysis (LDRS, i.e. semi-flexible and flexible robotics) is developed based on the technology of integrating a multiple DOF ultra-precision shadow robotic measurement system with a multiple DOF robot for form a closed-loop linkage chain to establish a corresponding closed-loop feedback control of end-effecter of said robotic system without the use and limitation of any target or artificial marker in work-cell as the reference. In this way, the major degrading problems that greatly drag down the positioning accuracy of a robot have been fairly resolved. The embodiment conducts the details of the development of such a multiple DOF ultra-precision robotic system for the general applications in precision engineering.

Abstract: A method and system for mutually-immersive telepresencing includes determining a height of a user and monitoring a height of an image of the user on an adjustable height surrogate. The method includes transmitting the height of the user and the image of the user, and moving the height of the image of the user on the adjustable height surrogate towards the height of the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a motion object with psychological and emotional expressions characterized by simplified processing and reduced control data associated with controlling a series of motions for body groups of the motion object including a fundamental control signal made up of an oscillating numerical value signal representing a psychological state, and a signal representing a body-group motion sequence.

Abstract: A robot cleaner, a robot cleaning system and a method for controlling the same capable of efficiently performing work on command by recognizing the driving distance and direction of the robot cleaner regardless of a of wheel slippage or irregularity in the floor. The robot cleaner performs a working operation while moving about a floor, and comprises a main body, a driving unit for driving a plurality of wheels disposed on a bottom portion of the main body, a downward-looking camera disposed among the wheels on the bottom portion of the main body for photographing images of the floor perpendicular to the driving direction of the robot cleaner, and a control unit for recognizing driving distance and direction of the wheels using image information of the floor photographed by the downward-looking camera, and for controlling the driving unit corresponding to a target work by using the recognized distance and direction of the wheels.

Abstract: A robot apparatus is provided which includes body portions such as a head block (4), leg blocks (3A to 3D), an actuator (25) to actuate the body portions and a CPU (10) to supply a control signal to the actuator (25). In this apparatus, information about an external force applied to the apparatus, such as the position, magnitude, direction, etc. of the external force, is computed on the basis of changes of the control signal supplied from the CPU (10) to drive the actuator (25) and a signal supplied as a response to the CPU (10) when the actuator (25) is driven. The external force information is supplied to the CPU (10) and used as information for selection of a behavior and emotion of the robot apparatus and the next behavior of the apparatus.

Abstract: A robot controller for teaching a robot with high efficiency. The robot controller including command storage unit (21) where a movement command and a work command are stored, command identifying unit (24) for discriminating between the movement and work commands, unit (22) for making/editing a series of work programs or discrete work programs by a combination of the commands, work program storage units (23) where the work programs are stored so as to control the robot according to the stored program, further including a work section identifying unit (25) for identifying a work section of the work program by way of the command identification unit (24) and work section automatic stopping unit (27) for automatically stopping or suspending the execution of the work program at the work section in a standby state when the work section identifying unit (25) identifies the work section during the execution of the work program.

Abstract: An autonomous action robot which can turn its line of sight to face a person who calls out, can recognize the face of a person, and can perform various actions in response to commands. First, a sound emitted from a person or other sound source is detected by a sound detector, and the direction of the sound source is specified based on the detected sound. Then, a robot head section is controlled, and the imaging direction of the robot head section is moved to face the specified direction of the sound source. Next, an image is captured in the direction of the sound source, and a target image of a specific shape is extracted from the captured image. Then, the imaging direction of the robot head section is controlled and moved to face in the direction of the extracted target image.

Abstract: A method of controlling a robot (32) includes the steps of selecting an initial configuration from at least one of a first, second, and third sets to position a TCP at a starting point (44) along a path (33) and selecting a final configuration different than the initial configuration to position the TCP at an ending point (46). Next, the TCP moves from the starting point (44) while maintaining the initial configuration, approaches the singularity between a first point (48) and a second point (50), and selects one of the axes in response to reaching the first point (48). The angle for the selected axis is interpolated from the first point (48) to the second point (50). After the interpolation, the angles about the remaining axes are determined and positions the arms in the final configuration when the TCP reaches the second point (50) and moves to the ending point (46) while maintaining the final configuration.

Abstract: A method for fine tuning of a robot program for a robot application comprising an industrial robot, a tool and a work object to be processed by the tool along a path comprising a number of desired poses on the work object, the robot program comprises a number of program instructions containing programmed poses corresponding to the desired poses, wherein the method comprises: defining a fine tuning coordinate system Xft, Yft, Zft, selecting one of said programmed poses pi, calculating said selected pose in the fine tuning coordinate system, producing program instructions for said selected pose in the fine tuning coordinate system, running said one or more program instructions by the robot, determining the difference between the pose obtained after running the program instructions and the desired pose, adjusting the fine tuning coordinate system in dependence of said difference, producing program instructions for said selected pose in the adjusted fine tuning coordinate system Xft′, Yft′, Zft′

Abstract: A medical system that allows a medical device to be controlled by one of two input devices. The input devices may be consoles that contain handles and a screen. The medical devices may include robotic arms and instruments used to perform a medical procedure. The system may include an arbitrator that determines which console has priority to control one or more of the robotic arms/instruments.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot is adaptively controlled in its attitude against variable external forces to continue the operation without inversion. When the legged mobile robot kicks an object having a certain mass, such as a ball, the robot is to be prevented from being fallen down by the reactive force from the object. Even if the mass or the repulsion coefficient of the object kicked is unknown, the operation of kicking the object at a sufficiently low speed is carried out at the outset to predict the reactive force produced on actual kicking in order to predict the reactive force produced on actual kicking. The result is that the stability in attitude can be maintained on kicking at an arbitrary speed. The legged mobile robot is able to take part as one of the players in athletic games, such as soccer games, in which each player performs his or her role as the or she is subjected to an external force.

Abstract: A method to produce natural motions, or self-motion, of animate or inanimate bodies or their parts by the application of pulses at two or more locations on the surface, or inside, of the bodies or their parts. Here, energy is converted into motion in one step. Turn on the pulses, and motion results instantly. The mechanism can emulate living motions, and as living motions can take on infinite gaits and forms, so can the mechanism produce infinite forms of motion. Smooth, repeatable, controllable or random motions can be induced. Just as living muscles convert the pulses from the nervous system into natural motion in one step, so will the mechanism convert artificially generated pulse-trains into motion in one step. The dynamic coupling or modulation of waves which travel within a body, and which are caused by artificially generated pulse-trains, produces the desired motions in directions perpendicular to the plane of the pulses.

Abstract: A lithography tool includes an exposure chamber and a reticle handler that exchanges a reticle being exposed as prescribed by the user of the lithography tool. The reticle handler can include a vacuum-compatible robot, a vacuum chamber to house the robot, a load-lock to input reticles and transition them from atmospheric pressure to vacuum, a processing station for processing the reticle, and a reticle library for storing at least one extra reticle so that it is quickly available for exchange during an exposure process. The robot can have a two or more handed gripper to simultaneously hold multiple reticles. This allows a first reticle to be removed from the reticle stage with a first hand and a second reticle to be loaded onto the reticle stage with a second hand, and so on, which minimizes exchange time.

Abstract: A cable array robotic system and apparatus for applications such as cargo handling at sea and pallet handling in manufacturing, based on a multi-cable robotic control system is disclosed. The cables are deployed from three or more folding, telescoping masts at the corners of a work area. The cables attach to an end-effector (e.g. a spreader mechanism) that grips an object (e.g. a container) and affects desired movements as directed by an operator through a computer controlled graphical user interface using pointing directives such as “put that there”. Various sensors and cameras enable a high degree of control over the end-effector (e.g. spreader or pallet) as it is moved from place to place. Sufficient control is possible so that the present cargo handling system may unload, without pendulation, the deck and hold of a ship onto a sea-going lighter during sea state three conditions in a container handling application at sea.

Abstract: A robot is provided, wherein it is possible to reduce incorrect identification in the case of executing face identification in a place where lighting variations are large such as in a house and in a place where there exists a lighting environment that is bad for identification. A face area of a person is detected from an image picked up at an imaging means and stored, and a face detecting and identifying means identifies a person using face image information stored before then. An identification result reliability calculating means calculates, using information from the imaging means, whether or not a present lighting state is suitable for face identification. When the result of calculation indicates that the lighting state is not suitable for face identification, the robot is moved by a moving means. Thereby, incorrect identification can be reduced.

Abstract: To control articulated robots by dynamically modifying a combination of a hardware-dependent middleware layer and a hardware-independent application layer. An interface and a database for semantically performing operation are prepared between a middleware layer which depends upon the hardware configuration of a robot and an application layer which does not depend upon the hardware configuration, thereby making it possible to always guarantee normal operation even if a combination of the middleware and the application which is to be introduced onto the robot is modified. The application can acquire appropriate input data via the middleware, and can issue an appropriate command.

Abstract: An object growth control system and method are provided. The object growth control system includes a weighting unit, a growth state analyzer, and an object operation controller. The weighting unit detects external environments and a user's state, loads weights on predetermined user emotional states, predetermined object growth tendencies, and predetermined object emotional states according to the result of detection and the user's tendency, and outputs the results of loading of the weights as state data. The growth state analyzer applies a predetermined statistical model to the state data input for a predetermined period to analyze the user's tendency and outputs a degree of education on the object with respect to the user's tendency based on the state data to which the predetermined statistical model has been applied.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling drive of a robot having two or more drive axes and driven in accordance with an action program transmitted from a system controller to a robot controller by a wireless transmission way, checks whether a detected current position of the robot coincides with a predetermined start position of the robot in terms of the drive axes, and allows the robot to be driven in accordance with the designated action program when the detected current position coincides with the predetermined start position. Failure in the position control of the robot due to transmission error is prevented by the position checking.

Abstract: The invention provides a robot apparatus and a robot controlling method wherein the robot apparatus can behave so that its user may not lose interest in the robot apparatus. A behavior management section (72) selects one of a seeking behavior and a knowledge utilizing behavior based on a behavior selection probability. When the behavior management section (72) executes the selected behavior (a), a reward (r) is provided from an environment/user (111). The behavior (72) updates a behavior value based on the reward (r) and applies the behavior value to the Boltzmann distribution to determine the behavior selection probability. Further, the behavior management section (72) varies the Boltzmann temperature based on input information. The present invention can be applied to a reinforced learning system for a robot.

Abstract: A system for controlling a plurality of robots and a method for controlling said system. Said system comprises a plurality of controllers, each having an associated motion system adapted to control attached robots, with each motion controller being able to receive motion instructions from at least one motion instruction source and at least one of said motion instruction sources being a control program, as well as a computer network over which said controllers communicate. In this way, the invention can be applied to solve problems which are commonly encountered in coordination activities such as load sharing, mating of parts while processing, fixtureless transfer, teaching, manual motion of coordinated operations, and time coordinated motion.

Abstract: A medical system that allows a medical device to be controlled by one of two input devices. The input devices may be consoles that contain handles and a screen. The medical devices may include robotic arms and instruments used to perform a medical procedure. The system may include an arbitrator that determines which console has priority to control one or more of the robotic arms/instruments.

Abstract: A medical system that allows a medical device to be controlled by one of two input devices. The input devices may be consoles that contain handles and a screen. The medical devices may include robotic arms and instruments used to perform a medical procedure. The system may include an arbitrator that determines which console has priority to control one or more of the robotic arms/instruments.

Abstract: In a music information reproducing device 1, a music information reproducing unit 2 reads a music information file 6 stored in a storage unit 4 and reproduces it as consecutive audible sound signal to sound audible sounds from a loud speaker 5. The music information file 6 comprises predetermined music information that a robot can recognize by analyzing as an audible sound signal and that specifies a movement pattern data for making the robot perform a movement pattern and normal music information for reproducing music. The robot 2 is a human form or an animal form robot that moves each part of the robot 2 in accordance with the specified movement pattern. A robot that performs a movement pattern along music by inputting the music as an audible sound signal and a movement pattern control program of the robot is provided in a cheap price.

Abstract: A system and method for transmission of communication signals between a controller and a robotic device in a data storage library. The system and method include a substantially planar electrical insulator having opposed first and second sides, and first and second substantially planar oppositely charged electrical conductors on the first and second sides of the insulator for use in providing electrical power to the robotic device. The system and method also include circuitry for generating the communication signals for transmission between the controller and the robotic device on one of the first and second conductors. The width of the second conductor is less than the width of the first conductor and the second conductor is substantially centered on the second side of the insulator relative to the width of the first conductor to reduce fringing of an electromagnetic field resulting from a transmitted communication signal.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for the development and implementation of virtual robot's (bot's) directed natural language interaction with computer users. Bots employing the present invention base natural language interaction on a predefined universe of discourse that is decomposed hierarchically into domains. A data structure provides a storage area for each domain. The data structure may reflect the hierarchical decomposition. Domain topics containing program code directing the bot's interaction are placed in domain storage areas. Pattern lists associate words expected to be “heard” by the bot with particular domain topics. Domain topics are provided, as appropriate, to direct a user's attention toward the instant domain's parent, siblings, or children, with lower topics in the hierarchy getting higher preference. Domain censoring and domain tiebreakers improve usability.

Abstract: A robot is proposed which has a speech recognition unit to detect information supplied simultaneously with or just before or after detection of a touch by a touch sensor, an associative memory/recall memory to store action made correspondingly to the touch and input information (speech signal) detected by the speech recognition unit in association with each other, and an action generator to control the robot to make action recalled by the associative memory/recall memory based on a newly acquired input information (speech signal). The robot has also a sensor data processor to allow the robot to act correspondingly to the touch detection by the touch sensor. Thus, the robot can learn action in association with an input signal such as speech signal.

Abstract: A method for describing the structure of a robot representing robot parts as an assembly of elementary structures which is based on the skeletonic representation, a robot structure and a robot part. The parts CPCi are robot parts making up a robot. The connecting information CONNECTi is represented by a symbol “-” specifying serial connection to a previous elementary structure and a symbol “;n” specifying connection to the elementary structure n elementary structures before. The shape information jSHAPEi, is represented by straight lines by a vector jpi, and the coordinate transformation to the next elementary structure at the terminal point of iPARTj is given by the transformation matrix jRi.

Abstract: A robot cleaner system capable of accurately docking with an external charging apparatus and a method for docking with an external charging apparatus comprising a power supply terminal connected to a supply of utility power, an external charging apparatus including a terminal stand for supporting the power supply terminal and fixing the external charging apparatus at a predetermined location, a driving unit for moving a cleaner body, an upper camera disposed on the cleaner body, for photographing a ceiling, a charging battery disposed in the cleaner body, for being charged by power supplied from the power supply terminal, a bumper disposed along an outer circumference of the cleaner body and outputting a collision signal when a collision with an obstacle is detected, and a robot cleaner disposed at the bumper to be connected with the power supply terminal and including a charging terminal connected to the charging battery, wherein, prior to starting on operation, the robot cleaner photographs an upward-lookin

Abstract: A medical system that allows a medical device to be controlled by one of two input devices. The input devices may be consoles that contain handles and a screen. The medical devices may include robotic arms and instruments used to perform a medical procedure. The system may include an arbitrator that determines which console has priority to control one or more of the robotic arms/instruments.

Abstract: A control system for robots comprising a control unit for generating and controlling the paths of a movement of the moving parts of the robot, a drive unit for generating the control signals for controlling the motors associated to the moving parts of the robot, and an Ethernet-type network for connection of the control unit and the drive unit. An interface module is also provided to connect the control unit to peripheral units and distributed input/output units. The drive unit comprises, in conjunction with a plurality of CPUs that close the control loops of the torques generated by the individual motors, a main CPU responsible for position control in the framework of the drive unit. The latter CPU thus retains knowledge of the overall status of the machine.

Abstract: A method of representing spatial relations among objects in the environment uses a Delaunay triangulation as the data structure to store the spatial relations when the objects are represented in the form of simplified objects such as cuboids. The method receives image data corresponding to the environment and recognizes the objects in the image data, and updates the Delaunay triangulation so that the Delaunay triangulation is consistent with the recognized objects. Furthermore, a proximity query can be carried out using the Delaunay triangulation.

Abstract: An architecture for robot intelligence enables a robot to learn new behaviors and create new behavior sequences autonomously and interact with a dynamically changing environment. Sensory information is mapped onto a Sensory Ego-Sphere (SES) that rapidly identifies important changes in the environment and functions much like short term memory. Behaviors are stored in a DBAM that creates an active map from the robot's current state to a goal state and functions much like long term memory. A dream state converts recent activities stored in the SES and creates or modifies behaviors in the DBAM.

Abstract: An automated storage library structure, a structure of at least one robot operating within the automated storage library, and a method of connecting the robot to test equipment to facilitate testing. The robot is operative to move about the automated storage library on a guide structure. The test equipment is disposed in a diagnostics center associated with the automated storage library. Communication between the robot and the diagnostics center is provided through a main connector, disposed adjacent to the guide structure at a predetermined position and electrically connected to the diagnostics center, and a test connector mounted on the robot's chassis and electrically connected to the robot's electronics. A second robot may be used to support testing of a sick robot.

Abstract: A method for controlling a hyper-redundant manipulator including a plurality of links coupled by joints by determining the shape the manipulator takes when the end of the manipulator is moved to a target position, includes modeling each link as an elastic body having a natural length and a suitable modulus of elasticity that enables the elastic body to stretch and contract, simulating the overall shape of the manipulator when the end has been moved to the target position with the joints locked at a freezed angle and the joints are unlocked to return each link to its natural length, and moving the manipulator end to the target position by controlling each joint angle to match the simulation outcome.

Abstract: A robot-arm telemanipulating system that presents an operator auditory information converted from a part of information on operating status of the robot arm (hereinafter referred to as “telemetry data”) transmitted from a distant position from the operator, so that a burden imposed on the operator can be alleviated. The telemanipulating system includes a sound source for simulatively generating an operating sound of the robot arm under telemanipulation, capable of variably controlling at least one of key, volume and tone of the operating sound by sound source control data input from outside; a telemetry data analyzing unit for analyzing telemetry data transmitted from the robot arm, and controlling the sound source by generating sound source controlling data corresponding to a load amount applied to the robot arm; and an audio output unit for presenting the operator the operating sound generated by the sound source in a form of auditory information.

Abstract: A method for building a new generation of computer applications termed “Sensitive Applications” is described. These applications have the potential to give the impression of working towards goals, reacting “emotionally” and “understanding” feelings. Sensitive Applications take as their input the rate and direction of change of subjective information (such as emotional tone). Sensitive Applications are capable of self-adjustment in efforts to increase the frequency of “good” behaviors (ie behaviors which seem to increase the possibility of reaching a goal.) They are capable of a wide range of modes of expression; through the use of mathematical and geometrical constructs such as waves and lines, the flow and change of emotional states is represented. The invention makes it possible to define a Behavior and then implement the manifestation of this behavior differently for different devices.

Abstract: A system for directing robot movement in a storage library is provided, the library comprising at least one horizontal array of storage cells and at least one robot that moves along the horizontal array and can retrieve objects from and place objects into the storage cells. The system comprises a guide rail that runs along the length of the horizontal array and loops around from one end of the horizontal array to the other end. The robot may move along the guide rail in a continuous, unidirectional loop. If multiple robots are added to the library, they can be made to move in the same direction along looping guide rail, thus elimination contention among robot movements. If multiple horizontal arrays are stacked vertically within the library, the looping guide rail allows robots to loop around and return to the same level or move onto a different horizontal level.

Abstract: The invention is a computerized mobile robot with an onboard internet web server, and a capability of establishing a first connection to a remote web browser on the internet for robotic control purposes, and a capability of establishing a second short range bi-directional digital radio connection to one or more nearby computerized digital radio equipped devices external to the robot. The short-range bi-directional digital radio connection will typically have a maximum range of about 300 feet. In a preferred embodiment, this short-range wireless digital connection will use the 2.4 gHz band and digital protocols following the IEEE 802.11, 802.15, or other digital communications protocol.

Abstract: A behavior decision system (70) includes a perceptual information acquisition unit (90) which acquires a cause factor being external or internal information acquired by a CCD camera (20), distance sensor (22), microphone (23) or the like and which influences a behavior and a motivational information acquisition unit (81) which acquires an occurrence tendency of a behavior influenced by the cause factor based on the cause factor from the perceptual information acquisition unit (90), a behavior selecting processor (82) which compares occurrence tendencies corresponding to two or more behaviors, acquired by the perceptual information acquisition unit (90) and motivational information acquisition unit (81) and belonging to the same group, to thereby select one of the behaviors, and an output semantics converter module (68) which controls moving parts based on the behavior selected by the behavior selecting processor (82) for expressing the selected behavior.