In an apparatus for detecting a collision of a handling device with an obstacle, comprising at least one gas-filled chamber, which is surrounded by a flexible sheath that is deformable by collision with an obstacle and has a flexible supporting structure, wherein the supporting structure forms a damping element, which, together with the sheath, mechanically damps the forces that act in the event a collision, and also comprising a pressure sensor for measuring the gas pressure inside the chamber, wherein the apparatus is able to be attached to the handling device in a manner covering at least a first and a second region of the handling device, the sheath and the supporting structure are formed in one piece with one another and provide different degrees of damping from one another in the first and the second region.

An autonomous working device comprises at least one sensor configured to generate a sensor signal based on a physical interaction of the autonomous working device with a physical entity, at least one actuator configured to perform a working task, and a controller configured to generate a control signal for controlling the actuator. The controller is configured to evaluate the sensor signal, to determine a pattern of a physical interaction of the autonomous working device with a person and to generate the control signal based on the determined pattern of a physical interaction.

A robot system includes a cooking device to heat a cooking container and having an operation unit configured to select a temperature level; a robot configured to control the temperature level and a cooking time of the cooking device; a dust sensor disposed around the cooking device or on the robot to sense a concentration of foreign substances; a temperature sensor disposed around the cooking device or on the robot to sense a temperature of the cooking container or the cooking device; and a controller configured to control the robot in a safe mode such that at least one of the temperature level and the cooking time is varied according to a danger level determined by a concentration sensing value of the dust sensor and a temperature sensing value of the temperature sensor.

A drilling rig having a lift arm, which may be an auxiliary lift arm provided in addition to a primary lifting cable system of the drilling rig. The lift arm may be configured to hoist and/or manipulate drill collar, drill pipe, or other drilling pipe or conduit. The lift arm may be coupled to a mast of the drilling rig and may have a cantilevered boom extending therefrom. The boom may be configured to pivot between alignment, or near alignment, with well center and a racking board. The lift arm may additionally have a pipe engaging element coupled to the boom. The pipe engaging element may be configured to couple to stands or lengths of drilling pipe. The pipe engaging element may be raised and lowered together with or relative to the boom via a lift line controllable via a hydraulic cylinder, winch, or other suitable mechanism for withdrawing and releasing the line.

A gripper system having tentacles including a control system configured to receive operator data and sensor data. Compare stored object configurations associated with grips to identify a corresponding set of object configurations using a target object shape and a pose via sensor data and select an object configuration. Compare stored commands to identify sets of commands corresponding to the object configuration and select sets of commands. If a set of pickup actions are received, compare to the corresponding object configuration to identify a set of pickup actions using the received set of pickup actions, and select a set of pickup actions. Compare the sets of commands to identify a corresponding first set of commands corresponding to a set of pickup actions using the set of pickup actions and select the first set of commands. If the received set of pickup actions are absent, then select a second set of commands.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for dynamically adjustable suction cups. In one embodiment, an example device may include a backplate, a gear coupled to the backplate and configured to move from a first position to a second position, a first suction cup segment having a first cavity, and a second suction cup segment disposed adjacent to the first suction cup segment, where a first portion of the second suction cup segment is disposed in the first cavity. Movement of the mechanical actuator from the first position to the second position may cause the first portion of the second suction cup segment to slide out of the first cavity, such that a surface area of a suction cup formed by the first suction cup segment and the second suction cup segment increases.

A robot system includes a robot arm, a vehicle being movable and supporting the robot arm, and a tilt sensor configured to detect a tilt relative to a reference direction of at least one of the robot arm and the vehicle. The control method includes controlling the robot arm to sequentially position a control point of the robot arm to a plurality of target points. The controlling of the robot arm includes, when the control point is located at the target point where the control point is to be located one point previously to an object target point of the plurality of target points, resetting a control parameter for positioning the control point at the object target point based on the tilt from the reference direction, and positioning the control point at the object target point using the reset control parameter.

A moving robot includes: a connection unit configured to detachably mount one of a plurality of task modules and electrically connectable to the one of a plurality of task modules when the one of a plurality of task modules is mounted; a frame unit supporting the connection unit and configured to be movable; a drive unit configured to move the frame unit; and a control unit to which a plurality of different driving modes corresponding to at least some of the plurality of task modules is input in advance and which controls the drive unit so that the moving robot is autonomously driven based on the plurality of driving modes.

A stiffening element to provide variable resistance to movement between a pair of members at a joint. The stiffening element comprises a filler with particles flowable in a bladder. A pressure source is coupled to the bladder to vary a pressure within the bladder and collapse the bladder. Collapsing the bladder varies a flow characteristic of the filler within the bladder, Varying the flow characteristics of the filler varies resistance of the bladder to movement of the bladder, and thus a pair of movable members and the joint.

In one embodiment, a method includes by a robotic system: sending, by an automatic tuning controller, driving commands to actuators of the robotic system, performing, for each of the actuators, one or more measurements of an actual pose of the respective actuator in response to the driving commands, generating, for each of the actuators, one or more configuration parameters for the respective actuator based on the one or more measurements, and storing the configuration parameters for the actuators in a data store of the robotic system.