A vacuum cleaner for performing autonomous driving may include: a main body; a driving unit; a suctioning unit; a plurality of sensors for sensing obstacles present in each direction; and a control unit for controlling the driving unit to move the main body on the basis of a preset driving pattern. The control unit uses sensors provided at the front side of the main body and a first side of the both sides of the main body so as to detect whether entry into a corner area among cleaning areas is made while driving along the preset driving pattern, and controls the driving unit such that the first side of the main body comes into contact with a first wall forming the corner area at least one time when the main body enters the corner area.

A system having a picking device for medicaments are provided. The system including a picking device that includes a movement space, an optical detection device and a control device. The system also includes a memory and a processor configured to create an image of the movement space, compare predefined areas of the image of the movement space with corresponding areas of a reference image, determine that an obstacle is present in a detected portion of the movement space based on the image comparison and provide corresponding signals for responding to the obstacle. A machine-readable medium for operating picking devices for medicaments is also provided.

A modular robot is provided. The modular robot includes a sweeper module having a container for collecting debris from a surface of a location. The sweeper module is coupled to one or more brushes for contacting the surface and moving said debris into said container. Included is a robot module having wheels and configured to couple to the sweeper module. The robot module is enabled for autonomous movement and corresponding movement of the sweeper module over the surface. A controller is integrated with the robot module and interfacing with the sweeper module. The controller is configured to execute instructions for assigning of at least two zones at the location and assigning a work function to be performed using the sweeper module at each of the at least two zones. The controller is further configured for programming the robot module to activate the sweeper module in each of the two zones. The assigned work function is set for performance at each of the at least two zones. The work function can be to sweep, to scrub, to polish, to mow or to perform different work functions over zones of a location, and providing remote access to view real-time operation of the modular robot, and to program zones and other control parameters of the modular robot.

A delivery robot can include an image sensor; a drive par; and a controller configured to detect a revolving door from an image in front of the delivery robot, detect a feature of at least one door blade of a revolving door from the image, generate an entry path including an initial location of the delivery robot and an entry time point for entering into the revolving door, and generate a departure path including a departure time point and a departure point for exiting from the revolving door, and control the drive part to move the delivery robot along the entry path and the departure path to pass through the revolving door.

A delivery robot can include an image sensor; a drive par; and a controller configured to detect a revolving door from an image in front of the delivery robot, detect a feature of at least one door blade of a revolving door from the image, generate an entry path including an initial location of the delivery robot and an entry time point for entering into the revolving door, and generate a departure path including a departure time point and a departure point for exiting from the revolving door, and control the drive part to move the delivery robot along the entry path and the departure path to pass through the revolving door.

An obstacle avoidance method for a robot, an obstacle avoidance apparatus for a robot, a robot, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic device are disclosed. The obstacle avoidance method for a robot includes: determining a target traveling position of the robot determining an avoidance mode of the robot and controlling the robot to travel along an outer edge of a first obstacle so as to bypass the first obstacle, in response to detecting that the first obstacle exists between a current position of the robot and the target traveling position during traveling of the robot, where the height of the first obstacle is less than a measurement height range of the robot. The operational efficiency of the robot can be improved, and the operational continuity of the robot can be enhanced.

An obstacle avoidance method for a robot, an obstacle avoidance apparatus for a robot, a robot, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic device are disclosed. The obstacle avoidance method for a robot includes: determining a target traveling position of the robot determining an avoidance mode of the robot and controlling the robot to travel along an outer edge of a first obstacle so as to bypass the first obstacle, in response to detecting that the first obstacle exists between a current position of the robot and the target traveling position during traveling of the robot, where the height of the first obstacle is less than a measurement height range of the robot. The operational efficiency of the robot can be improved, and the operational continuity of the robot can be enhanced.

Some aspects include a method for operating a robot in a workspace, including: capturing, with an image sensor, image data of the workspace including objects within the workspace as the robot moves within the workspace; identifying, with a processor of the robot, at least one characteristic in the image data, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises one of: an edge, a shape, and a color; determining, with the processor, an object type of an object; and instructing, with the processor, the robot to execute at least one action based on the at least one characteristic, wherein the at least one action comprises one of: driving along a modified path and driving around the object.

A method includes maneuvering a robot in (i) a following mode in which the robot is controlled to travel along a path segment adjacent an obstacle, while recording data indicative of the path segment, and (ii) in a coverage mode in which the robot is controlled to traverse an area. The method includes generating data indicative of a layout of the area, updating data indicative of a calculated robot pose based at least on odometry, and calculating a pose confidence level. The method includes, in response to the confidence level being below a confidence limit, maneuvering the robot to a suspected location of the path segment, based on the calculated robot pose and the data indicative of the layout and, in response to detecting the path segment within a distance from the suspected location, updating the data indicative of the calculated pose and/or the layout.

An autonomous mobile device (AMD) moves around a physical space while performing tasks. The AMD may have sensors with fields of view (FOVs) that are forward-facing. As the AMD moves forward, a safe region is determined based on data from those forward-facing sensors. The safe region describes a geographical area clear of obstacles during recent travel. Before moving outside of the current FOV, the AMD determines whether a move outside of the current FOV keeps the AMD within the safe region. For example, if a path that is outside the current FOV would result in the AMD moving outside the safe region, the AMD modifies the path until poses associated with the path result in the AMD staying within the safe region. The resulting safe path may then be used by the AMD to safely move outside the current FOV.