A method and system for picking or put-away within a logistics facility. The system includes a central server and at least one mobile manipulation robot. The central server is configured to communicate with the robots to send and receive picking data which includes a unique identification for each item to be picked, a location within the logistics facility of the items to be picked, and a route for the robot to take within the logistics facility. The robots can then autonomously navigate and position themselves within the logistics facility by recognition of landmarks by at least one of a plurality of sensors. The sensors also provide signals related to detection, identification, and location of a item to be picked or put-away, and processors on the robots analyze the sensor information to generate movements of a unique articulated arm and end effector on the robot to pick or put-away the item.

A method for determining a trajectory of a robot from a starting position to a target position is provided. The starting position and the target position are manually defined by a user in a real environment of the robot. Then a collision-free trajectory of the robot from the starting position to the target position is determined, based on the surroundings of the robot. Also provided is a device, a robot system, a computer program and a machine-readable storage medium.

Systems and methods for surgical robotic collision detection in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed. In various embodiments, a system for surgical robotic collision detection includes a robotic cart having a robotic arm, an imaging device supported by the robotic cart or the robotic arm, the imaging device captures images within a field of vision of the imaging device, and a controller in operable communication with the robotic arm and the imaging device. The controller includes a processor and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to: receive the images from the imaging device, generate a grid including a first plurality of spatial points from the images, and detect a potential collision within the field of vision based on the generated grid.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for planning a path of motion for a robot. In some implementations, a candidate path of movement is determined for each of multiple robots. A swept region, for each of the multiple robots, is determined that the robot would traverse through along its candidate path. At least some of the swept regions for the multiple robots is aggregated to determine amounts of overlap among the swept regions at different locations. Force vectors directed outward from the swept regions are assigned, wherein the force vectors have different magnitudes assigned according to the respective amounts of overlap of the swept regions at the different locations. A path for a particular robot to travel is determined based on the swept regions and the assigned magnitudes of the forces.

A system has a virtual-world (VW) controller and a physical-world (PW) controller. The pairing of a PW element with a VW element establishes them as corresponding physical and virtual twins. The VW controller and/or the PW controller receives measurements from one or more sensors characterizing aspects of the physical world, the VW controller generates the virtual twin, and the VW controller and/or the PW controller generates commands for one or more actuators affecting aspects of the physical world. To coordinate the corresponding virtual and physical twins, (i) the VW controller controls the virtual twin based on the physical twin or (ii) the PW controller controls the physical twin based on the virtual twin. Depending on the operating mode, one of the VW and PW controllers is a master controller, and the other is a slave controller, where the virtual and physical twins are both controlled based on one of VW or PW forces.

A method of stacking goods by a robot, a system of controlling the robot to stack the goods, and the robot are provided in the field of robot control. The method includes: acquiring a current pose and a target pose of the goods; obtaining a collision-free motion trajectory of the robot and/or an end effector of the robot based on the current pose and the target pose of the goods; and controlling the robot to place the goods in the target pose in accordance with the collision-free motion trajectory. The method of stacking goods by the robot, the system of controlling the robot to stack the goods, and the robot are configured to realize a process of fully automated stacking the goods in the scenario of logistically loading or unloading the goods. The efficiency of loading or unloading the goods can be improved, and the labor cost can be reduced.

An operation instruction list including starting points and ending points of trajectories of a plurality of robot arms is generated (a trajectory definition data generation process). Order of generation of trajectories is determined in accordance with the operation instruction list (a generation order determination process). A trajectory of a specific robot arm included in the operation instruction list is generated in accordance with a starting point and an ending point such that the trajectory avoids obstacle spaces registered in the obstacle memory when trajectories of other robot arms are generated (a trajectory generation process). A sweeping space in which a structure of the arm sweeps when the robot arm is operated along the generated trajectory is added to the obstacle memory as an obstacle space to be avoided by the other robot arm (an obstacle registration process).

A programmable motion robotic system is disclosed that includes a plurality of arm sections that are joined one to another at a plurality of joints to form an articulated arm, and a hose coupling an end effector of the programmable motion robotic system to a vacuum source. The hose is attached to at least one arm section of the articulated arm by a pass-through coupling that permits the hose to pass freely through the coupling as the plurality of arm sections are moved about the plurality of joints.

Disclosed is a robot including a manipulator for moving a tool; and a processor for controlling the manipulator, setting a boundary, generating a first path in response to a received execution instruction, generating a second path that does not extend beyond the boundary based on the first path and the boundary, and controlling the manipulator based on the second path.

A system has a virtual-world (VW) controller and a physical-world (PW) controller. The pairing of a PW element with a VW element establishes them as corresponding physical and virtual twins. The VW controller and/or the PW controller receives measurements from one or more sensors characterizing aspects of the physical world, the VW controller generates the virtual twin, and the VW controller and/or the PW controller generates commands for one or more actuators affecting aspects of the physical world. To coordinate the corresponding virtual and physical twins, (i) the VW controller controls the virtual twin based on the physical twin or (ii) the PW controller controls the physical twin based on the virtual twin. Depending on the operating mode, one of the VW and PW controllers is a master controller, and the other is a slave controller, where the virtual and physical twins are both controlled based on one of VW or PW forces.