A method includes: executing judgment processing for judging whether a site to carry out a first task assigned to a first robot and a site to carry out a second task assigned to a second robot are likely to overlap each other; executing comparison processing for comparing first end time with second end time when the sites to carry out the first task and the second task are likely to overlap each other; and executing determination processing for selecting the first task order when the first end time is earlier than the second end time, and selecting the second task order when the second end time is earlier than the first end time.

A planning system includes flow generating circuitry, confirmation circuitry, and update circuitry. The flow generating circuitry is configured to generate a task flow which includes work tasks predetermined based on a concurrent execution constraint with respect to concurrent execution of tasks performed by robots and connection tasks to be connected to the work tasks. The confirmation circuitry is configured to determine whether at least one of the robots interferes with an object in the connection tasks. The update circuitry is configured to update the concurrent execution constraint when the at least one of the robots is determined to interfere with the object.

A cooperative robotic arm system includes a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm and a controller. The first robotic arm has first working vector. The second robotic arm has second working vector. The controller is configured to: (1) control the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm to stop moving; (2) determine whether a first projection vector of the first working vector projected on a first coordinate axis and a second working vector projected on the first coordinate axis overlaps; (3) when they overlap, determine whether a third projection vector of the first working vector projected on a second coordinate axis and a fourth projection vector of the second working vector projected on the second coordinate axis overlap; and, (4). when they do no overlap, control a controlled-to-moved one of the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm to move along a reset path.

A control system is provided. A second robot in this control system has a trajectory calculation unit which calculates a trajectory of the second robot so as to avoid a first robot if it is determined that the first robot and the second robot will collide.

In the following, a method for synchronizing the motion sequences of at least two robots will be described. In accordance with one embodiment, the method comprises the following: During operation of a robot cell having at least two robots, a path parameter is regularly calculated for each of the at least two robots based on a current position of the respective robot and on a previously specified robot path of the respective robot. The path parameter represents the current position of the robot. Subsequently, a run-ahead limit is calculated for each robot based on the path parameters determined for the respective other robots. Based on the respective calculated run-ahead limit, the path speed of every robot can be adjusted.

A method and system for preventing a collision between mechanical arms (21), and a medical robot, belonging to the field of medical robot technology. The method includes: arranging (S10) discrete points (m, n) at a mechanical arm (21); acquiring (S40) an interaction force (F.sub.m,n) corresponding to each discrete point (m, n) according to a calculated relative distance (L) between the discrete points (m, n) respectively on different mechanical arms (21), to obtain (S50) a resultant force of the interaction forces (F.sub.m,n) each of which corresponds to each discrete point (m, n), and then obtaining a Cartesian force (F.sub.d) corresponding to each mechanical arm (21), and making (S60) an operator perceive the Cartesian force (F.sub.d) in real time, thereby effectively reducing the risk of interference and collision between the mechanical arms (21).

Telerobotic, telesurgical, and/or surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods employ surgical robotic linkages that may have more degrees of freedom than an associated surgical end effector in space. A processor can calculate a tool motion that includes pivoting of the tool about an aperture site. Linkages movable along a range of configurations for a given end effector position may be driven toward configurations which inhibit collisions. Refined robotic linkages and methods for their use are also provided.

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).

The future of manufacturing, agriculture, distribution, healthcare, and virtually every other labor-intensive endeavor is robotic—a multitude of autonomous, mobile, robotic systems. One of the many problems this will bring is the coordination of independently-navigating robots in limited spaces. Communication is the key to coordination. Fixed-position and mobile robots can identify and localize each other in real-time using pulses of visible or infrared light, synchronized with wireless messages in 5G or 6G. A fixed-position robotic assembly device can identify a mobile robot bringing raw components, by exchanging synchronized pulses and messages. Busy robots in a distribution center can avoid collisions and improve throughput by coordinating with other proximate robots, using the communication tools provided herein. Fixed-position robots can enforce boundary conditions and provide oversight, keeping innumerable mobile devices in-lane and on-task. Many other aspects and applications are provided.

A method of operating a robotic control system comprising a master apparatus in communication with a plurality of input devices having respective handles capable of translational and rotational movement and a slave system having a tool positioning device corresponding to each respective handle and holding a respective tool having an end effector whose position and orientation is determined in response to a position and orientation of a corresponding handle. The method involves producing desired new end effector positions and orientations of respective end effectors in response to current positions and orientations of corresponding handles, using the desired new end effector positions and orientations to determine distances from each point of a first plurality of points along a first tool positioning device to each point of a plurality of points along at least one other tool positioning device, and determining and notifying that any of the distances meets a proximity criterion.