A portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine includes a noncontact 3D measuring device that has a projector configured to emit a first pattern of light onto an object, a scanner camera arranged to receive the first pattern of light reflected from the surface of the object, an edge-detecting camera arranged to receive light reflected from an edge feature of the object, and a processor configured to determine first 3D coordinates of an edge point of the edge feature based on electrical signals received from the scanner camera and the edge-detecting camera.

A portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine includes a noncontact 3D measuring device that has a projector configured to emit a first pattern of light onto an object, a scanner camera arranged to receive the first pattern of light reflected from the surface of the object, an edge-detecting camera arranged to receive light reflected from an edge feature of the object, and a processor configured to determine first 3D coordinates of an edge point of the edge feature based on electrical signals received from the scanner camera and the edge-detecting camera.

A portable articulated arm coordinate measurement machine (AACMM) is provided. The AACMM having a manually positionable articulated arm having first and second ends, the arm including a plurality of connected arm segments, each of the arm segments including at least one position transducer for producing position signals, at least one of the position signals passing between two of the arm segments through a first slip ring assembly. A first a first electronic circuit is provided that receives the position signals. A base section is connected to the second end. A probe assembly includes a probe end and a cover. The cover rotates about an axis extending through the probe assembly, the cover having at least one indentation formed thereon. The probe assembly is connected to the first end. The AACMM measures a three-dimensional coordinate of a point in space associated with the probe end.

This application describes an automated inventory detection, retrieval and delivery system for traditional brick and mortar retail locations. The automated inventory detection, retrieval and delivery system may be retrofitted to existing brick and mortar retail locations to enable contactless ordering and retrieval of items.

One variation of a method for monitoring growth of plants within a facility includes: aggregating global ambient data recorded by a suite of fixed sensors, arranged proximal a grow area within the facility, at a first frequency during a grow period; extracting intermediate outcomes of a set of plants, occupying a module in the grow area, from module-level images recorded by a mover at a second frequency less than the first frequency while interfacing with the module during the period of time; dispatching the mover to autonomously deliver the module to a transfer station; extracting intermediate outcomes of the set of plants from plant-level images recorded by the transfer station while sequentially transferring plants out of the module at the conclusion of the grow period; and deriving relationships between ambient conditions, intermediate outcomes, and final outcomes from a corpus of plant records associated with plants grown in the facility.

According to some aspects of the invention, auxiliary axis measurement systems for determining three-dimensional coordinates of an object are provided as shown and described herein. According to some aspects of the invention, methods for operating auxiliary axis measurement systems for determining three-dimensional coordinates of an object are provided as shown and described herein.