A method and system for picking or put-away within a logistics facility. The system includes a central server and at least one mobile manipulation robot. The central server is configured to communicate with the robots to send and receive picking data which includes a unique identification for each item to be picked, a location within the logistics facility of the items to be picked, and a route for the robot to take within the logistics facility. The robots can then autonomously navigate and position themselves within the logistics facility by recognition of landmarks by at least one of a plurality of sensors. The sensors also provide signals related to detection, identification, and location of a item to be picked or put-away, and processors on the robots analyze the sensor information to generate movements of a unique articulated arm and end effector on the robot to pick or put-away the item.

A robotic automated broccoli plant harvesting apparatus uses a vision system implemented with an RGB depth camera that provides imaging signals. Software operating on a microcomputer processes the imaging signals to identify the height and position of a broccoli plant to sever it with dual opposed cutting blades. In a preferred embodiment, the software algorithm combines color, texture, and distance information of the broccoli plant to reliably cut the broccoli stalk with ⅛-inch (3.175-millimeter) accuracy. Broccoli stalks of consistent lengths result in uniform, commercially viable products.

A robotic arm for automatically displacing an object between two locations based on a combination of pre-set instructional data and dynamically updated instructional data includes a robotic arm sensor for detecting objects located within a distance D.sub.rs from a reference point on the robotic arm and, the robotic arm sensor is configured to determine, based on receiving signals from the detected object, at least one of the distance to the detected object, the size of the detected object, and at least one physical property of the detected object.

A method for eliminating misjudgment of a reflective light applied to an autonomous robot is provided. The autonomous robot includes a driving system and an optical sensing system that includes a light source and a light sensor. The light source emits a transverse linear light as detection light and the light sensor senses reflective light signals from an object that reflects the detection light. In the method, a frame image including the reflective light signals is captured by the light sensor, characteristics of the reflective light signals are analyzed, and the characteristics of the reflective light signals can be corrected based on the characteristics of previous reflective light signals stored in a memory of the autonomous robot in order to exclude abnormal information. The object can be confirmed based on the corrected characteristics of reflective light signals. The misjudgment caused by the abnormal information can therefore be eliminated.

An encoder unit includes a magnetic encoder having a main gear fixed to a rotation shaft, a plurality of auxiliary gears meshing with the main gear, magnets placed in the respective auxiliary gears, and a plurality of magnetic sensors on which magnetic fields of the corresponding magnets act, an optical encoder placed apart from the magnetic encoder in an axial direction of the rotation shaft and having an optical scale fixed to the rotation shaft and an optical sensor receiving light reflected by the optical scale, and a substrate placed between the magnets and the optical scale and having one surface with the magnetic sensors mounted thereon and another surface with the optical sensor mounted thereon.

Methods and systems for assessing a robotic grasping technique. The system in accordance with various embodiments may include a warehouse management system for retrieving and storing items, a robotic manipulator for grasping an item, and analysis module configured to receive data regarding a first grasp attempt by the robotic manipulator and analyze the received data to determine whether the robotic manipulator successfully grasped the item.

A method of handling a wire harness that can automate a task of picking up and transporting the wire harness including a plurality of connectors and a wire member by gripping the plurality of connectors. In the method, positions of the plurality of connectors of the wire harness being placed apart from the robot hand are acquired, the robot hand is positioned such that the first connector is in the range of the first gripper based on the acquired position of the first connector, the first gripper is moved and the first connector is gripped and picked up by the first gripper, then, the robot hand is positioned such that the second connector is in the motion range of the second gripper based on the acquired position of the second connector, and the second gripper is moved and the second connector is gripped and picked up by the second gripper.

A system for placing objects on a surface. The system may include a base, a robotic arm coupled, at an end thereof, to the base, an end effector coupled to the other end of the robotic arm. The end effector may be configured for releaseably coupling to an object to be placed on the surface. The system may further include one or more sensor units on a sensor frame. The one or more sensor units may be configured for sensing a two-dimensional profile data including at least two two-dimensional profiles together comprising at least three boundary portions of the object to be placed and at least three boundary portions of objects on the surface. At least two of the three boundary portions of the object to be placed may be from substantially non-parallel sides. At least two of the three boundary portions of the objects on the surface may be from substantially non-parallel sides. The system may further include a processor configured to determine at least three degrees of freedom of the object to be placed with respect to the sensor frame and six degrees of freedom of the sensor frame with respect to the objects on the surface in a three-dimensional space for determining a current pose of the object to be placed with respect to the objects on the surface based on the two-dimensional profile data. Further, the system may be configured to place the object based on differences between the current pose and a desired pose of the object to be placed determined from a model of objects on the surface in the three-dimensional space.

A method for palletizing by a robot includes positioning an object at an initial position adjacent to a target object location, tilting the object at an angle relative to a ground plane, shifting the object in a first direction from the initial position toward a first alignment position, shifting the object in a second direction from the first alignment position toward a second alignment position, and releasing the object from the robot to pivot the object toward the target object location.

A system having a sensor system comprising distance sensors for monitoring a hazardous zone at a movable machine part having at least one protected zone, wherein a tool is arranged at the movable machine part, wherein the distance sensors are arranged at a holder at the movable machine part, wherein a plurality of distance sensors are arranged, with the detection beams of the distance sensors forming a protected field shell, wherein the holder has the distance sensors, with the holder having a disk-shaped housing, with the disk-shaped housing having round surfaces and not having any corners at the outer surfaces, with the system comprising a fastening system, the fastening system comprises one of a first fastening adapter and a second fastening adapter at which the holder is respectively arranged for fastening the holder to the movable machine part.