A mobile robot for determining whether to board an elevator may include a camera configured for capturing an inside of the elevator, an object recognition unit configured for recognizing an area of the elevator and the number of passengers from an image captured by the camera, and a control unit configured for calculating a density of the elevator based on the area and the number of passengers. The control unit may perform a determination of whether to board the elevator based on the density, and control a driving wheel motor based on the determination.

In a designing method for setting a specification of an individual-piece magnetic marker to be laid on a road surface, a specification of the magnetic marker is appropriately set based on a correlation coefficient between a first distribution of strengths of magnetism in a forwarding direction acting on a position at a minimum attachment height in a range of attachment heights of the magnetic sensor assumed in respective vehicles and a second distribution representing a distribution of strengths of magnetism in the forwarding direction acting on the position at the minimum attachment height when magnetism is assumed to be generated from a one-point magnetism generation source.

Systems, apparatus, and methods to facilitate docking of robotic vehicles with platforms are disclosed. An example apparatus includes memory; machine readable instructions; and processor circuitry to execute the machine readable instructions to identify a property associated with a platform; determine a confidence associated with docking the platform and an autonomous vehicle based on the property associated with the platform; identify a positioning maneuver to be performed by the autonomous vehicle relative to the platform based on the confidence and the property of the platform; and output an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the positioning maneuver.

A system, comprising at least one autonomous mobile robot (AMR); and a management system comprising at least one processor configured to: enable the identification of a target region, the target region comprising one or more target locations; direct the at least one AMR to the target region; enable the selection of whether a first target location of the one or more target locations is identified by an operator or by the management system; and direct the at least one AMR to the first target location.

A system comprises a management system comprising at least one processor configured to define a set of queueing spaces associated with a workspace location for reach of a plurality of locations. In response to a request by an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) for access to the location, the management system is configured to grant access to the requesting AMR if the location is unoccupied or direct the requesting AMR to a queueing space associated with the location if the location is occupied by another AMR. In response to a signal indicating the location has been exited by the other AMR, the management system is configured to send instructions to the requesting AMR granting access to the location.

In a method for operating a technical installation that includes an outer zone, a danger zone, an access zone which provides for access from the outer zone to the danger zone, a light curtain for monitoring the access zone, and at least one mobile system: a protective field is generated and activated in the access zone by the light curtain before entry of the at least one mobile system into the access zone; when the at least one mobile system approaches the access zone, a mobile communication unit of the at least one mobile system transmits a request signal to a stationary communication unit of the light curtain; and after reception of the request signal by the stationary communication unit the protective field is deactivated by the light curtain. A technical apparatus is configured to carry out the method.

An advanced system of cooperating solar module carrier robots for installing solar panels on a solar tracker is provided. The advanced system can include a computer vision system designed to route the cooperating solar module carrier robots to a solar tracker, a deck sized to fit one or more pallets of solar panels, and a robotic arm with a suction cup tool designed to pick up and hold a solar panel.

Disclosed is a task performance method of a system configured to perform a task on a delivery object using a plurality of robots assisting a worker. The task performance method of a system includes assigning, by the server, at least one task of a plurality of tasks stored in advance to a first robot among the plurality of robots, determining, by the server, a path for arranging the first robot to a first location in which at least one delivery object related to the task assigned to the first robot is stored, guiding, by the server, the first robot to the first location according to the determined path, and guiding, by the server, the first robot arranged in the first position to a second position.

A method for autonomously tethering an autonomous electric powered trailer to a tethering partner includes identifying a target tethering partner for the autonomous electric powered (AEP) trailer, detecting a likely n-dimensional position of a tethering nexus of the target tethering partner based on an assessment of sensor data; computing, a set of automated tethering instructions based on the likely n-dimensional position of the tethering nexus; and autonomously tethering, via the one or more computers, a coupler of the AEP trailer to the tethering nexus based on executing the set of automated tethering instructions.

A method includes: storing, at a mobile robot, a local repository of self-assigned task definitions; determining, at a processor of the mobile robot, that a local activity metric associated with tasks assigned to the mobile robot by a central server meets an idle criterion; in response to determining that the local activity metric meets the idle criterion, selecting, by the processor, one of the self-assigned task definitions from the local repository; and initiating execution of a self-assigned task corresponding to the selected self-assigned task definition at the mobile robot.