Robots have the capacity to perform a broad range of useful tasks, such as factory automation, cleaning, delivery, assistive care, environmental monitoring and entertainment. Enabling a robot to perform a new task in a new environment typically requires a large amount of new software to be written, often by a team of experts. It would be valuable if future technology could empower people, who may have limited or no understanding of software coding, to train robots to perform custom tasks. Some implementations of the present invention provide methods and systems that respond to users' corrective commands to generate and refine a policy for determining appropriate actions based on sensor-data input. Upon completion of learning, the system can generate control commands by deriving them from the sensory data. Using the learned control policy, the robot can behave autonomously.

A robot includes a motor drive power source for converting a voltage supplied from a power source to a motor drive unit-grade voltage and outputting it, a motor drive unit for converting a motor drive unit-grade voltage output from the motor drive power source to a motor drive voltage and outputting it, a motor driven to be rotated by a motor drive voltage output by the motor drive unit, a robot arm on which the motor drive unit and the motor are arranged, and a robot controller which is provided independently of the robot arm and on which the motor drive power source is arranged.

A method, arrangement and computer program product for determining overall equipment effectiveness of a robot cell including at least one industrial robot involved in producing products. The arrangement includes an effectiveness determination device, which in turn includes an overall equipment effectiveness determining unit that obtains ideal robot operations data of the robot cell, obtains actual robot operations data of the robot cell, and determines the overall equipment effectiveness based on the ideal robot operations data and the actual robot operations data.

The invention relates to a system for generating sets of control data for networked robots, comprising a plurality of robots (R.sub.i), wherein i=1, 2, 3, . . . , n, and n≧2, an optimizer (OE) and a database (DB), which are networked via a data network, wherein each robot (R.sub.i) comprises at least: a control unit (SE.sub.i) for controlling and/or regulating the robot (R.sub.i); a storage unit (SPE.sub.i) for controlling sets of control data SD.sub.i(A.sub.k), which in each case enable the control of the robot (R.sub.i) in accordance with a predetermined task (A.sub.k), wherein k=1, 2, 3, . . . , m; a unit (EE.sub.i) for specifying a new task A.sub.m+1 for the robot (R.sub.i), wherein A.sub.m+1≠A.sub.k; a unit (EH.sub.i) for determining a set of control data SD,(A.sub.m+1) for execution of the task (A.sub.m+1) by the robot (R.sub.i), an evaluation unit (BE.sub.i), which evaluates the set of control data SD.sub.i(A.sub.m+1) determined by the unit (EH.sub.i), with regard to at least one parameter (P1) with the characteristic number K.sub.P1(SD.sub.i(A.sub.m+1)), and a communication unit (KE.sub.i) for communication with the optimizer (OE) and/or the database (DB) and/or other robots (R.sub.j≠i), the optimizer (OE), which is designed and configured in order to determine, upon request by a robot (R.sub.i), at least one optimized set of control data SD.sub.i,P2(A.sub.m+1) with regard to at least one predetermined parameter (P2), wherein the request by the robot (R.sub.i) occurs when the characteristic number K.sub.P1(SD.sub.i(A.sub.m+1) does not meet a predetermined condition, and the data base (DB) stores the set of control data SD.sub.i,P2(A.sub.m+1) optimized by the optimizer (OE) and provides it to the robot (R.sub.i) for execution of the task (A.sub.m+1).

Provided are a method of controlling a mobile robot, apparatus for supporting the method, and delivery system using the mobile robot. The method, which is performed by a control apparatus, comprises acquiring a first control value for the mobile robot, which is input through a remote control apparatus, acquiring a second control value for the mobile robot, which is generated by an autonomous driving module, determining a weight for each control value based on a delay between the mobile robot and the remote control apparatus and generating a target control value of the mobile robot in combination of the first control value and the second control value based on the determined weights, wherein a first weight for the first control value and a second weight for the second control value are inversely proportional to each other.

Robotic customer service agents are provided such that, when properly configured, they are operable to perform a customer service task. A contact center may dispatch a robot, an accessory for a customer-owned robot, or instructions to transform an unconfigured robot, such as a generic robot, into a configured robot operable to perform the task. The robot may provide certain data to a contact center or a third-party to ensure compliance with operating practices to protect persons, property, and data and reduce the unnecessary acquisition of sensitive data, as well as, execute on-board risk mitigation applications.

Example implementations may relate a robot part including a processor, at least one sensor, and an interface providing wireless connectivity. The processor may determine that the robot part is removablly connected to a particular robotic system and may responsively obtain identification information to identify the particular robotic system. While the robot part is removablly connected to the particular robotic system, the processor may (i) transmit, to an external computing system, sensor data that the processor received from the at least one sensor and (ii) receive, from the external computing system, environment information (e.g., representing characteristics of an environment in which the particular robotic system is operating) based on interpretation of the sensor data. And based on the identification information and the environment information, the processor may generate a command that causes the particular robotic system to carry out a task in the environment.

A robotic surgical system and method are disclosed for transitioning control to a secondary robotic arm controller. In one embodiment, a robotic surgical system comprises a user console comprising a display device and a user input device; a robotic arm configured to be coupled to an operating table; a primary robotic arm controller configured to move the robotic arm in response to a signal received from the user input device at the user console; and a secondary robotic arm controller configured to move the robotic arm in response to a signal received from a user input device remote from the user console. Control over movement of the robotic arm is transitioned from the primary robotic arm controller to the secondary robotic arm controller in response to a failure in the primary robotic arm controller. Other embodiments are provided.

A system includes an inspection robot for performing an inspection on an inspection surface with an inspection robot, the apparatus comprising a position definition circuit structured to determine an inspection robot position on the inspection surface; a data positioning circuit structured to interpret inspection data, and to correlate the inspection data to the inspection robot position on the inspection surface; and wherein the data positioning circuit is further structured to determine position informed inspection data in response to the correlating of the inspection data with the inspection robot position, wherein the position informed inspection data comprises absolute position data.

A teaching system configured to teach operation to a plurality of robots includes a first controlling device which determines whether a first robot and a second robot are in an enabled state where the first and second robots are permitted to operate, and when the first controlling device determines as in the enabled state, the first controlling device transmits an enable signal indicative of permitting the second robot to operate and enables the first robot to be taught the operation when a teaching terminal specifies the first robot. When a second controlling device receives the enable signal from the first controlling device and the teaching terminal specifies the second robot, the second controlling device enables the second robot to be taught the operation.