A rotary-wing drone and a method of blowing air by an air blowing device integrated with the rotary-wing drone are described. The rotary-wing drone includes a plurality of rotary propellers, an extendable cone, a centrifugal propeller unit, and one or more batteries, in the air blowing device. The rotary-wing drone further includes a camera configured to obtain images of surrounding environment of the rotary-wing drone, and a processing circuitry configured to analyze the images to determine dust characteristics on a solar panel and to obtain one or more parameters of the air blowing device and the rotary-wing drone, to enable the rotary-wing drone to clean the solar panel.

An under-floor charging station can be mounted under a floor such that a top plate of the under-floor charging station is substantially flush with a top surface of the floor without touching the ground. Openings in the top plate allow charging elements to extend when in use to charge a mobile robot, and to retract under the floor when not in use. The retractable charging elements prevent tripping hazards and allow the mobile robot to move freely throughout a clean room. Moreover, because the charging elements can be retracted in an unobtrusive position when the under-floor charging station is not in use, the under-floor charging station is permitted to be positioned in locations in the clean room that allow the mobile robot to continue working while charging and/or allow non-stop running of the mobile robot.

An electric powered vehicle may include a maximum speed limiting device. In the first mode, in a case where the distance is shorter than a first reference value, the maximum speed is limited to a value lower than the maximum speed applied when the distance is longer than the first reference value. In the second mode, in a case where the distance is shorter than a second reference value, the maximum speed is limited to a value lower than the maximum speed applied when the distance is longer than the second reference value. In a case where the distance changes from a value shorter than the first and second reference values to a value longer the first and second reference values, the maximum speed limiting device increases the maximum speed at an earlier timing in the second mode than in the first mode.

An autonomous driving control system of a vehicle includes a processor, a navigation, and a driving controller communicatively connected to one another. The processor is configured to estimate a charging amount of a power source that drives a driving device of a vehicle. The navigation is configured to set a driving route based on a destination and to search for a charging station for the power source based on the set driving route. The processor is further configured to determine a charging strategy of the power source based on the estimated charging amount of the power source, the driving route set by the navigation, and the searched charging station. The driving controller is configured to control driving of the vehicle based on the driving route set by the navigation and the determined charging strategy.

A flexible material handling system for can handle varied loads and placements including operation in varying weather conditions, and integrates safety systems to tolerate pedestrians and manual vehicles in an operating environment. An autonomous vehicle is operable along a vehicle traversal path within a predetermined set of environmental conditions. A GPS base station is operatively in communication with the autonomous vehicle. A supervisor/orchestrator is operatively in communication with the autonomous vehicle and the GPS base station and is operative to coordinate movement of the autonomous vehicle along the vehicle traversal path and assign one or more tasks for the autonomous vehicle to accomplish.

A vehicle control device includes a main control device that includes a recognition unit configured to recognize a peripheral situation of a vehicle, a driving control unit configured to control steering and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle independently from an operation of a driver of the vehicle, and a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, and to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode with a heavier task load when the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task load imposed on the driver is lighter than in the first driving mode, at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and a predetermined condition is satisfied, a sub-control device that has the same configuration as the main control device, and is capable of controlling the vehicle in place of the main control device, and a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of the second battery that is different from the first battery supplying power to the main control device and supplies power to the sub-control device, in which the mode determination unit changes the driving mode of the vehicle from the second driving mode to the first driving mode when a temperature of the second battery is lower than a predetermined temperature.

A robot according to an embodiment may include at least one driving motor for providing a driving force for driving of the robot, a position detector including at least one sensor or receiver for detecting a position of the robot, a pressure detector including at least one sensor for detecting whether a user who in on board the robot gets off the robot and a processor for detecting the position of the robot through the position detector, recognizing that the user has arrived at the destination when it is detected that the user gets off the robot and recognize that the user has not arrived at the destination when it is not detected that the user gets off the robot.

An apparatus, system and method of operating an autonomous mobile robot having a height of at least one meter. The apparatus, system and method may include a robot body; at least two three-dimensional depth camera sensors affixed to the robot body proximate to the height, wherein the at least two three-dimensional depth camera sensors are both directed toward a major floor surface from the affixation and, in combination, comprise an at least substantially 360 degree field of view of the major floor surface around the robot body; and a processing system for receiving of data within the field of view from the at least one three-dimensional depth camera sensor, detecting the presence of a plurality of AR tags on the upper surface of the charging base, calculating a virtual alignment point associated with the center of the robot docking connector, calculating a virtual alignment point associated with the center of the charging base docking connector, and outputting a path of travel between the center of the charging base docking connector and the center of the robot docking connector, whereby a physical connection is made.

A vehicle diagnosis method includes a) determining, when a subject vehicle including a power storage enters a chargeable state in which it can receive power feed from EVSE, whether or not charging of the power storage is started in the subject vehicle, b) determining whether or not timer-programmed charging has been set in the subject vehicle that has entered the chargeable state, and c) determining whether or not charging and discharging control of the power storage is being carried out in the subject vehicle under remote control based on a determination result in at least one of a) determining and b) determining.

A modular robot system which may be configured to accommodate packages of varying sizes is provided. The modular robot may include a base have omni-directional wheels and cameras and sensors, one or more modular containers, and a lid, which may be releasably linked together to form a small, medium or larger units. The base, one or more modular containers, and the lid may be electrically linked to provide information to be used in a number of ways. For example, the electrical link may allow two or more modular robots to communicate with each other, enable external displays of multiple modules to act as one large unit, control the motion of the drawers, e.g., allowing them to open/close, and allow the processor(s) in the lid to communicate with the drive system of the omni-directional wheels. A set of alternating interlocking rails and tracks on corresponding surfaces enable the various layers of the modular robot to interlock with one another. Interlocking of multiple modular containers may be established by sliding one surface over the other. These sections may be used to create modular robots of varying sizes.