Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for performing robot plan online adjustment. A method includes receiving an initial plan for performing a particular task with a robot having a sensor. The initial plan defines an initial path having a plurality of waypoints. Each waypoint is associated with a target position and a target velocity. The method includes generating an alternative path from the initial path. Generating an alternative path includes generating a plurality of alternative paths including performing respective modifications to one or more waypoints in the initial plan, evaluating each alternative path according to a simulated total time duration required for the robot to traverse the alternative path, and selecting an alternative path having a total time duration that is less than a total time duration of the initial plan.

A vertically driving marking robot includes a robot body; at least one magnet constraining the robot to move parallel to a vertical, magnetically responsive surface; a drive configured to displace the robot relative to the surface while the robot is held to the surface; a holder configured to hold a marker; an accelerometer measuring a gravity vector; a computing device in communication with the optical sensors, the accelerometer, and the drive. The computing device includes a processor and computer-readable memory, wherein the computer-readable memory includes non-transitory program code for at least one of the following actions: (a) generating a drift correction to compensate for drive slippage drift in response to and as a function of the gravity vector and (b) commanding the drive to displace the robot along a desired trajectory in response to the drift correction.

A computer-implemented method for controlling an excavation task by an autonomous excavation vehicle comprising a scanning device, the excavation task being described by a target map, the method comprising using an excavation vehicle control system for: a) according to data from the scanning device, maintaining a map representing current terrain; b) moving a sensor-equipped digging implement for executing an excavation operation; c) receiving data indicative of current terrain topography from the sensor; d) updating the maintained map according to the data indicative of current terrain topography; and e) calculating an excavation operation according to the difference between the maintained map and the target map.

Provided are an autonomous running device, a running control method for the autonomous running device, and a running control program of the autonomous running device that allow the autonomous running device to reach a destination while continuing estimation of its self-position. An autonomous running device includes a first position estimation unit that estimates the position of the autonomous running device on the basis of information about surroundings of the autonomous running device, produces information about the estimated position of the autonomous running device as first positional information, and updates the first positional information, a second position estimation unit that estimates the position of the autonomous running device on the basis of rotation amounts of wheels, produces information about the estimated position of the autonomous running device as second positional information, and updates the second positional information, and a control unit.

An automatic control mode system for heavy machinery and a method for controlling heavy machinery for an automatic control mode is disclosed. The method may include: monitoring one or more conditions of one or more systems of the heavy machinery for the automatic control mode; determining whether at least one of the one or more conditions is met; and disabling the automatic control mode if at least one of the one or more conditions are met.

The operations of a computer-implemented method include obtaining a topological map of an environment including a series of waypoints and a series of edges. Each edge topologically connects a corresponding pair of adjacent waypoints. The edges represent traversable routes for a robot. The operations include determining, using the topological map and sensor data captured by the robot, one or more candidate alternate edges. Each candidate alternate edge potentially connects a corresponding pair of waypoints that are not connected by one of the edges. For each respective candidate alternate edge, the operations include determining, using the sensor data, whether the robot can traverse the respective candidate alternate edge without colliding with an obstacle and, when the robot can traverse the respective candidate alternate edge, confirming the respective candidate alternate edge as a respective alternate edge. The operations include updating, using nonlinear optimization and the confirmed alternate edges, the topological map.

Systems, methods, and computer readable media for performing task assignment, completion, and management within a crowdsourced surveillance platform. A remote server may identify targets for image capture and may assign capture tasks to users based on travel plans of the user. Users may be assigned task to capture image of target locations lying along a travel path. The remote server may aggregate data related to the captured images and use it to update a map and log changes to the target location over time.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detected collision. An autonomous vehicle control system may receive sensor data associated with an autonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system is installed. The autonomous vehicle control system may analyze the sensor data in real-time as the sensor data is received and may detect an occurrence of a collision involving the autonomous vehicle. In response to detecting the occurrence of the collision, the autonomous vehicle control system may generate claim information based on the sensor data and may process the claim information based on at least one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system. Then, the autonomous vehicle control system may generate a claim notification based on processing the claim information and may send the claim notification to a vehicle management computer system.

Lighting control systems may be commissioned for programming and/or control with the aid of a mobile device. Design software may be used to create a floor plan of how the lighting control system may be designed. The design software may generate floor plan identifiers for each lighting fixture, or group of lighting fixtures. During commissioning of the lighting control system, the mobile device may be used to help identify the lighting devices that have been installed in the physical space. The mobile device may receive a communication from each lighting control device that indicates a unique identifier of the lighting control device. The unique identifier may be communicated by visible light communication (VLC) or RF communication. The unique identifier may be associated with the floor plan identifier for communication of digital messages to lighting fixtures installed in the locations indicated in the floor plan identifier.

The present disclosure provides a sweeping robot obstacle avoidance treatment method based on free move technology, step 1 and step 2 are as following. Step 1: predetermining a sweeping robot provided with a six-axis gyroscope, a grating signal sensor, and a left-and-right-wheel electric quantity sensing unit. Step 2: performing a real-time sensing and data acquisition on an operation state of the sweeping robot by utilizing the six-axis gyroscope, the grating signal sensor, and the left-and-right wheel electric quantity sensing unit to obtain a real-time data information.