An apparatus for use with a robot is disclosed. The apparatus includes a reflective photoelectric sensor arranged on a gripper of the robot and a controller. The controller is configured to: cause the reflective photoelectric sensor to scan over a target object; monitor changes in an output signal from the reflective photoelectric sensor; for each detected change exceeding a threshold, determine a coordinate of a gripping component on the gripper in a robot coordinate system, to obtain a set of coordinates; determine a position of the target object in the robot coordinate system based on the set of coordinates and a predefined offset value between the reflective photoelectric sensor and the gripping component; and store the position of target object for future use in assembling objects. A method, a robot and a computer program product are also disclosed. The apparatus and the method provide a new solution for calibrating or teaching the robot.

Methods and apparatuses for performing automated operations using a high-density robotic cell. An apparatus comprises a first plurality of robotic devices; a second plurality of robotic devices; and a control system. Each of the second plurality of robotic devices is coupled to a single function end effector. The control system controls the second plurality of robotic devices to concurrently perform tasks at a plurality of locations on an assembly, while the first plurality of robotic devices independently maintain a clamp-up at each of the plurality of locations.

An approach to positioning one or more robotic arms in an assembly system may be described herein. For example, an apparatus may include a first robotic arm having a distal end and a proximal end. The distal end may be configured for movement and the proximal end may secure the first robotic arm. The apparatus may further include a camera connected with the distal end of the first robotic arm. The camera may be configured to capture image data of a marker connected with a second robotic arm and provide the image data to a computer. The computer may generate a set of instructions for the first robotic arm based on the image data of the marker. The movement of the first robotic arm may be caused by the computer according to the generated set of instructions.

An absolute robot-assisted positioning method is provided which can be performed by a facility. The method optimises an assembly task which has been created theoretically at a computer workstation and which is implemented in reality by the facility. The disclosed facility includes at least one robot, at least one measurement system and a computer, wherein the at least one measurement system monitors the at least one robot while the assembly task is being performed, and the robot and the measurement system are connected to each other via the computer.

A mobile assembly apparatus and a method of assembling a retail product utilizing a retail assembly are discussed. The mobile assembly apparatus may include a cabinet structure, an expandable work surface, a frame, wheels, an articulated arm, outrigger supports, a power supply, sensors, a hardware dispenser, and a computing device. The mobile assembly apparatus scans a machine readable identifier and retrieves assembly instructions for an item associated with the identifier. The computing device controls the outrigger supports and extendable surface based on the instructions. The computing device monitors the progress of the assembly of the time and validates the assembly based on assembly data from the sensors.

A robot apparatus which does assembly by tilting a workpiece which is to be a fitting component, and bringing a part of a surface of the workpiece which is the fitting component and a part of a surface of a workpiece which is to be a fitted component, into contact with each other a plurality of times, when inserting the workpiece which is the fitting component into the workpiece which is the fitted component.

A device assembling system includes a management apparatus, a material apparatus, and an execution apparatus. The management apparatus is communicatively connected to the material apparatus and the execution apparatus, and the material apparatus and the execution apparatus are installed into an overall structure. The management apparatus is configured to obtain a maintenance task of a maintenance device. The maintenance task includes an operation type and an operation object. The management apparatus parses the maintenance task into a first control instruction and a second control instruction. The material apparatus receives the first control instruction, and searches for a to-be-assembled part according to the first control instruction, that is, the material apparatus may determine a position of the to-be-assembled part. The execution apparatus receives the second control instruction, and obtains the to-be-assembled part and assembles the to-be-assembled part to a device according to the second control instruction.

Apparatus, systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for automatic robot perception programming by imitation learning are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a percept mapper to identify a first percept and a second percept from data gathered from a demonstration of a task and an entropy encoder to calculate a first saliency of the first percept and a second saliency of the second percept. The example apparatus also includes a trajectory mapper to map a trajectory based on the first percept and the second percept, the first percept skewed based on the first saliency, the second percept skewed based on the second saliency. In addition, the example apparatus includes a probabilistic encoder to determine a plurality of variations of the trajectory and create a collection of trajectories including the trajectory and the variations of the trajectory. The example apparatus also includes an assemble network to imitate an action based on a first simulated signal from a first neural network of a first modality and a second simulated signal from a second neural network of a second modality, the action representative of a perceptual skill.

To facilitate mounting of a second member on a first member having a plate shape while the first member is supported in a state of being deformable due to gravity. A method for manufacturing a component includes: a step (S13) where a supporting robot supports a skin having a plate shape in a state where the skin is deformable due to gravity, and a support state of the skin is changed based on teaching data based on a deformed shape of the skin, which is recorded in advance in a storage unit and which is obtained at the time of mounting a frame on the skin; and a step (S15) where a mounting robot makes the frame overlap with the skin where a support state is changed.

A component manufacturing method includes a step of calculating, for a plurality of keyholes formed on a skin and disposed in a row along a first axial direction on the skin, a first imaginary line that passes an average position in a second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction and is parallel to the first axial direction, a step of calculating, for a plurality of keyholes formed on a frame and disposed in a row along a third axial direction on the frame, a second imaginary line that passes an average position in a fourth axial direction perpendicular to the third axial direction and is parallel to the third axial direction, and a step of superimposing the skin and the frame such that the first imaginary line and the second imaginary line coincide.