A control device for industrial machines with controlled motion drives for machine components has at least one operating element which is configured to manually influence or set adjustment movements of the machine components and which is designed as a rotary actuator operating element comprising a continuously rotatable actuating member. The rotary actuator operating element and a push-button element are connected to an electronic evaluation and control device which is configured to provide two interactive modes. The first interactive mode sets a movement speed and a desired movement direction of a machine component to be controlled and the push-button must be actuated or activated and simultaneously or additionally the actuating member of the rotary actuator operating element must be adjusted. In the second interactive mode a rotary actuation member is enabled without simultaneous actuation of the push-button element.

A method of maneuvering a robot includes driving the robot across a surface and turning the robot by shifting a center of mass of the robot toward a turn direction, thereby leaning the robot into the turning direction. The robot includes an inverted pendulum body, a counter-balance body disposed on the inverted pendulum body and configured to move relative to the inverted pendulum body, at least one leg prismatically coupled to the inverted pendulum body, and a drive wheel rotatably coupled to the at least one leg. The inverted pendulum body has first and second end portions and defines a forward drive direction. The method also includes turning the robot by at least one of moving the counter-balance body relative to the inverted pendulum body or altering a height of the at least one leg with respect to the surface.

Disclosed example robotic welding systems include: a robotic manipulator configured to manipulate a welding torch; a first input device attached to the robotic manipulator and configured to receive rotational and translational inputs; a second input device attached to the robotic manipulator and configured to receive a masking input; and a robot control system, comprising: a processor; and a machine readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: in response to activation of the masking input via the second input device, masking at least a portion of the inputs received via the first input device; and in response to inputs to the first input device, move the robotic manipulator according to the inputs and based on whether the inputs are masked.

An intermediation device and an intermediating method, capable of improving public interest in an industrial robot compared to before, are provided. The intermediation device is adapted to execute processings of receiving, from at least two manipulation terminals, or from at least one manipulation terminal and at least one computer, manipulation signals for manipulating at least two industrial robots each corresponding to the manipulation terminal or the computer and configured to perform a given work or a given game, causing the at least two industrial robots to perform the given work or the given game based on the manipulation signals, and causing a display unit held by an operator of the manipulation terminal to display an image of a site of the work or the game performed by the at least two industrial robots, the image being captured by an imaging device.

An apparatus (e.g., robotic vehicle, control device, headpiece, etc.) including processing circuitry (110) configured to receive robotic-vehicle-positioning-information indicative of robotic vehicle position data of a robotic vehicle (20) transiting a work area at one or more locations on the work area; receive operator-positioning-information indicative of operator position data of an operator controlling the robotic vehicle (20); generate a virtual line-of-sight vector (70) based on the operator-positioning-information; generate a virtual sight area (80) based on the virtual line-of-sight vector (70) and a predetermined sight area parameter; determine if the virtual sight area (80) intersects with the robotic-vehicle-positioning-information; and initiate one or more precautionary measures when the virtual sight area (80) does not intersect with the robotic-vehicle-positioning-information.

Embodiments herein describe wireless transmission techniques for mitigating interference between wirelessly controlled machines in a shared space. To mitigate interference, the machines may be assigned different channels within the same frequency band. However, if machines using the same channel in a frequency band receive each other's wireless signals, the wireless signals can interfere. To free up additional bandwidth, in one embodiment, the command signals are transmitted using a different frequency band than a heartbeat signal used to stop the machines in case of emergencies. In another embodiment, time multiplexing or directional antennas can be used to mitigate interference. In another example, antenna diversity and multiple-input-multiple output (MIMO) can be used to further focus the radiation pattern onto the desired machine while avoiding transmitting wireless signals to neighboring machines. In one embodiment, the machines may use dual-channels to transmit and receive duplicate data.

A system for controlling a catheter-based procedure system that includes a robotic drive configured to control rotational motion and axial motion of one or more elongated medical devices may include a body, a first control coupled to the body, and a second control coupled to the body. First control is configured to instruct the robotic drive to axially move one of the one or more elongated medical devices in response to manipulation of the first control by a user, and the second control is configured to instruct the robotic drive to rotate one of the one or more elongated medical devices in response to manipulation of the second control by the user, wherein the first control and the second control are positioned on the body so the first control and the second control can be simultaneously manipulated by a first digit and a second digit on a hand of the user.

A method of operating a robotic control system comprising a master apparatus in communication with an input device having a handle and a slave system having a tool having an end effector whose position and orientation is determined in response to a position and orientation of the handle. The method involves producing a desired end effector position and a desired end effector orientation of the end effector, in response to a current position and a current orientation of the handle. The method further involves causing the input device to provide haptic feedback that impedes translational movement of the handle, while permitting rotational movement of the handle and preventing movement of the end effector, when a rotational alignment difference between the handle and the end effector meets a first criterion. The method further involves re-enabling translational movement of the handle when the rotational alignment difference meets a second criterion.

A method of initializing the layout of one or more robotic arms controllable by an input object, comprising: entering a paused mode, in which control of movement of the robotic arms by the input object is paused; measuring an input object initialization layout, defined by the layout of at least one segment of the input object; actuating at least a portion of the robotic arms to match the input object initialization layout; and entering a controlled mode, in which movements of the input object control the robotic arms.

A compact, intuitively-operable input device for manipulating a robot is provided. Provided is an input device for manipulating a robot. The input device includes: a base; a movable section supported in a three-dimensionally movable manner relative to the base; and a detector that performs detection by resolving an operation amount of the movable section relative to the base into parallel movement amounts along a first axis and a second axis, which extend parallel to a predetermined surface of the base and are orthogonal to each other, and a parallel movement amount along a third axis that is orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis.