A self-contained truck-mounted brick laying machine (2) is described. A truck (1) supports the brick laying machine (2) which is mounted on a frame (3) on the truck chassis. The frame (3) supports packs or pallets of bricks (52, 53) placed on a platform (51). A transfer robot can then pick up an individual brick and move it to, or between either a saw (46) or a router (47) or a carousel (48). The carousel is located coaxially with a tower (10), at the base of the tower (10). The carousel (48) transfers the brick via the tower (10) to an articulated (folding about horizontal axis (16)) telescoping boom comprising first boom element in the form of telescopic boom (12, 14) and second boom element in the form of telescopic stick (15, 17, 18, 19, 20). The bricks are moved along the folding telescoping boom by linearly moving shuttles, to reach a brick laying and adhesive applying head (32). The brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) mounts to element (20) of the stick, about an axis (33) which is disposed horizontally. The poise of the brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) about the axis (33) is adjusted and is set in use so that the base (811) of a clevis (813) of the robotic arm (36) mounts about a horizontal axis, and the tracker component (130) is disposed uppermost on the brick laying and 110,111 adhesive applying head (32). The brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) applies adhesive to the brick and has a robot that lays the brick. Vision and laser scanning and tracking systems are provided to allow the measurement of as-built slabs, bricks, the monitoring and adjustment of the process and the monitoring of safety zones. The first, or any course of bricks can have the bricks pre machined by the router module (47) so that the top of the course is level once laid.

Computer aided design software for designing a building or other structure of brick construction, where in addition to the usual three dimensional modelling and rendering typical of CAD software, tabular data describing the spatial location and orientation of each brick is provided, including information regarding which bricks are cut to length so as to be shortened, and where they are located along each course, and which bricks are machined, drilled or routed for services or other special fittings. Data pertaining to this is compiled in a database for access by control software to control a brick laying machine to build a building or other structure from bricks. The database may receive via interface with a scanner data being a measure of the elevation of the footings and/or concrete pad that has been constructed according to the building plan and for each brick of the first course, to determine how much material must be machined off the bottom of each brick so that when the first course is laid, the tops of the bricks of the first course are at the same level. This machining data is stored for each brick with the tabular data produced by computer aided design software, so that the control software can control the brick laying machine to machine and cut each brick as per the stored data, and convey each brick to the stored position on the footing, pad or previously laid course of bricks, with application of adhesive prior to positioning of the brick.

A control system is described for a base supporting a telescoping articulated boom assembly indicated generally at 15, comprising long telescopic boom 17 and telescopic stick 19. Mounted to the remote end 21 of the stick 19 is an end effector in the form of a head 23 that supports a 6 axis robot arm 25 that moves a further end effector 27 to manipulate the items. The robot arm 25 has a robot base 31, and mounted above the robot base 31 is a first target in the form of a 6 degree of freedom (6 DOF) high data rate position sensor 33, that provides 6 DOF position coordinates, relative to a fixed ground reference 35, to a control system. Mounted on the end of the robot arm 25 immediately above the end effector 27 is a second target in the form of a 6 degree of freedom (6 DOF) high data rate position sensor 37, that provides 6 DOF position coordinates, relative to the fixed ground reference 35, to the control system. The fixed ground reference 35 tracks the sensor 33 and feeds data to the control system to move the head with slow dynamic response within range of work for the robot arm, and tracks the sensor 37 to control movement of the robotic arm 25 and end effector 27 with fast dynamic response.

Computer aided design software for designing a building or other structure of brick construction, where in addition to the usual three dimensional modelling and rendering typical of CAD software, tabular data describing the spatial location and orientation of each brick is provided, including information regarding which bricks are cut to length so as to be shortened, and where they are located along each course, and which bricks are machined, drilled or routed for services or other special fittings. Data pertaining to this is compiled in a database for access by control software to control a brick laying machine to build a building or other structure from bricks. The database may receive via interface with a scanner data being a measure of the elevation of the footings and/or concrete pad that has been constructed according to the building plan and for each brick of the first course, to determine how much material must be machined off the bottom of each brick so that when the first course is laid, the tops of the bricks of the first course are at the same level. This machining data is stored for each brick with the tabular data produced by computer aided design software, so that the control software can control the brick laying machine to machine and cut each brick as per the stored data, and convey each brick to the stored position on the footing, pad or previously laid course of bricks, with application of adhesive prior to positioning of the brick.

An automated vehicle comprising: a control unit configured to control movement of the automated vehicle to a location adjacent an estimated location of a drill hole; a scanning portion including one or more scanning devices configured to scan an area of terrain in the vicinity of the estimated location of the drill hole in order to determine an actual location of the drill hole, and to generate a point cloud representing at least a portion of the interior of the drill hole; at least one arm associated with the scanning portion, the at least one arm configured to move the scanning portion between a home position and one or more scanning positions; and an end effector associated with the at least one arm, the end effector being configured to perform one or more operations;
wherein, upon generating the point cloud, the at least one arm is configured, based on the point cloud, to position the end effector in substantial alignment with the drill hole so that the end effector can perform the one or more operations.

One aspect of the present invention involves a networked initiation system having one or more non-energetic hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs), a control unit and an interface bus connected between all of the HDRMs and the control unit. Other aspects of the present invention involve networked initiation systems having one or more of each of non-energetic HDRMs, energetic HDRMs and other (generic) energetic devices. The systems also include a control unit and an interface bus connected between all of the HDRMs and/or energetic devices and the control unit. The system may be used on a spacecraft for holding various elements in place on the spacecraft during launch, and then activating the HDRMs and/or energetic devices at selected points in time after launch to release the elements for movement, e.g., into orbit or beyond.

Systems and methods for determining movement of a robot are provided. A computing system of the robot receives information including an initial state of the robot and a goal state of the robot. The computing system determines, using nonlinear optimization, a candidate trajectory for the robot to move from the initial state to the goal state. The computing system determines whether the candidate trajectory is feasible. If the candidate trajectory is feasible, the computing system provides the candidate trajectory to a motion control module of the robot. If the candidate trajectory is not feasible, the computing system determines, using nonlinear optimization, a different candidate trajectory for the robot to move from the initial state to the goal state, the nonlinear optimization using one or more changed parameters.

A system for performing interactions within a physical environment including: a robot base that undergoes movement relative to the environment; a robot arm mounted to the robot base, the robot arm including an end effector mounted thereon; a first tracking system that measures a robot base position; a second tracking system that measures movement of the robot base; and, a control system that uses a robot base position to at least partially control the robot arm to move the end effector along an end effector path, wherein the control system: determines the robot base position at least in part using signals from the first tracking system; and, in the event of failure of the first tracking system: determines a robot base position using signals from the second tracking system; and, controls the robot arm to move the end effector along the end effector path at a reduced end effector speed.

Methods and systems for distributing remote assistance to facilitate robotic object manipulation are provided herein. Regions of a model of objects in an environment of a robotic manipulator may be determined, where each region corresponds to a different subset of objects with which the robotic manipulator is configured to perform a respective task. Certain tasks may be identified, and a priority queue of requests for remote assistance associated with the identified tasks may be determined based on expected times at which the robotic manipulator will perform the identified tasks. At least one remote assistor device may then be requested, according to the priority queue, to provide remote assistance with the identified tasks. The robotic manipulator may then be caused to perform the identified tasks based on responses to the requesting, received from the at least one remote assistor device, that indicate how to perform the identified tasks.

Example systems and methods may be used to determine a trajectory for moving an object using a robotic device. One example method includes determining a plurality of possible trajectories for moving an object with an end effector of a robotic manipulator based on a plurality of possible object measurements. The method may further include causing the robotic manipulator to pick up the object with the end effector. After causing the robotic manipulator to pick up the object with the end effector, the method may also include receiving sensor data from one or more sensors indicative of one or more measurements of the object. Based on the received sensor data, the method may additionally include selecting a trajectory for moving the object from the plurality of possible trajectories. The method may further include causing the robotic manipulator to move the object through the selected trajectory.