The present invention relates to a method, such as a surgical method for assisting a surgeon for placing screws in the spine using a robot attached to a passive structure. The present invention also related to a method, such as a surgical method for assisting a surgeon for removing volumes in the body of a patient using a robot attached to a passive structure and to a device to carry out said methods. The present invention further concerns a device suitable to carry out the methods according to the present invention.

This disclosure describes, according to some implementations, a system and method for adapting object handover from robot to human using perceptual affordances. In an example method, upon receiving sensor data describing surroundings and/or operational state of a robot unit from a sensor, the method calculates a probability of a perceptual classification based on the sensor data. The perceptual classification may be one or more of an environment classification, an object classification, a human action classification, or an electro-mechanical state classification. The method further calculates an affordance of the probability of the perceptual classifier using a preference model, determines a handover action based on the affordance, executes the handover action, and updates the preference model based on feedback.

Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for spatiotemporal reservations for robots. In various implementations, a sequence of spatial regions of an environment, and a sequence of respective time intervals that are reserved for a robot to operate within the sequence of spatial regions, may be reserved for the robot. A default path through the sequence of spatial regions may be identified. During traversal of the default path, it may be determined that the default path will be unpassable by the robot through a given spatial region during a given time interval reserved for the robot to operate within the given spatial region. Thus, an alternative path through the given spatial region that is traversable by the robot during the given time interval may be identified. The robot may then be traversed along the alternative path through the given spatial region within the given time interval.

The invention relates to an automatic automated installation in which at least one robot (2) is used in at least one mode of operation in at least one work zone (3). The installation comprises a closed space (1) equipped with at least one door (4) offering access to at least one operator intervention work station (6) which is situated in said work zone (3) of said robot, and means (7) for detecting the presence of an element (25; 26) in said closed space (1) at said operator intervention work station (6). The detection means (7) are arranged in said closed space (1) to delimit at least two zones (8, 9, 10) and are also associated with means (21) for control of said at least one mode of operation of the robot (2), each zone (8, 9, 10) being associated with one mode of operation of the robot (2). The detection means (7) are positioned a predetermined height from a floor (18) of said space (1), said height being greater than the height of an empty pallet (12).

An isolated force/torque sensor assembly for a force controlled robot includes an end effector for operatively attaching to an arm of the force controlled robot, the end effector having a gripping portion adapted to be gripped by a hand of a user, and a force/torque sensor adapted to be disposed between the gripping portion and the arm of the robot, the force/torque sensor having a high force end effector interface adapted to be attached to the arm of the robot, a low force end effector interface operatively attached to the gripping portion, and a transducer disposed between the high force end effector interface and the low force end effector interface for reacting to loads applied to the low force end effector interface for user controlled positioning of a surgical tool and for generating corresponding output signals, and wherein the transducer is bypassed for high loads.

Systems and methods for moving or manipulating robotic arms are provided. A group of robotic arms are configured to form a virtual rail or line between the end effectors of the robotic arms. The robotic arms are responsive to outside force such as from a user. When a user moves a single one of the robotic arms, the other robotic arms will automatically move to maintain the virtual rail alignments. The virtual rail of the robotic arm end effectors may be translated in one or more of three dimensions. The virtual rail may be rotated about a point on the virtual rail line. The robotic arms can detect the nature of the contact from the user and move accordingly. Holding, shaking, tapping, pushing, pulling, and rotating different parts of the robotic arm elicits different movement responses from different parts of the robotic arm.

A robot control device includes a contact judging part which judges if the robot has contacted an object based on external force which is detected by the sensor, a stop command part which makes the robot stop when it is judged that the robot has contacted the object, a continuous contact judging part which judges if the robot continues to contact the object after making the robot stop, and a retraction command part which makes the robot retract in a direction away from the object when it is judged that the robot continues to contact the object.

Systems and methods for calibrating the location of an end effector-carrying apparatus relative to successive workpieces before the start of a production manufacturing operation. The location calibration is performed using a positioning system. These disclosed methodologies allow an operator to program (or teach) the robot motion path once and reuse that path for subsequent structures by using relative location feedback from a measurement system to adjust the position and orientation offset of the robot relative to the workpiece. When each subsequent workpiece comes into the robotic workcell, its location (i.e., position and orientation) relative to the robot may be different than the first workpiece that was used when developing the initial program. The disclosed systems and methods can also be used to compensate for structural differences between workpieces intended to have identical structures.

A control system may receive a first plurality of measurements indicative of respective joint angles corresponding to a plurality of sensors connected to a robot. The robot may include a body and a plurality of jointed limbs connected to the body associated with respective properties. The control system may also receive a body orientation measurement indicative of an orientation of the body of the robot. The control system may further determine a relationship between the first plurality of measurements and the body orientation measurement based on the properties associated with the jointed limbs of the robot. Additionally, the control system may estimate an aggregate orientation of the robot based on the first plurality of measurements, the body orientation measurement, and the determined relationship. Further, the control system may provide instructions to control at least one jointed limb of the robot based on the estimated aggregate orientation of the robot.

Exemplary embodiments relate to user-assisted robotic control systems, user interfaces for remote control of robotic systems, vision systems in robotic control systems, and modular grippers for use by robotic systems. The systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable media instructions described interact with and control robotic systems, in particular pick and place systems using soft robotic actuators to grasp, move and release target objects.