There is provided a method of controlling a robot within an environment comprising: i) receiving, from a 3D scanner, data relating to at least a portion of the environment for constructing a 3D point cloud representing at least a portion of the environment; ii) comparing the 3D point cloud to a virtual 3D model of the environment and, based upon the comparison, determining a position of the robot; then iii) determining a movement trajectory for the robot based upon the determined position of the robot. Also provided is a control apparatus and a robot control system.

To provide a technology of reducing a difference with respect to a target position of a curvable portion of a continuum robot which is to move forward substantially along a trajectory including a branched trajectory and a space. A continuum robot includes a plurality of curvable portions separately driven by wires, and control units which control positions of a plurality of curvable portions in accordance with a kinematic model. A modification value for modifying the kinematic model based on a target position and a measured position about each of the cases in which the plurality of curvable portions take a plurality of positions having at least one intersection is calculated. Modification uses a modification result in at least one of the plurality of positions as an initial value to modify the kinematic model in another position, and synthesizes the plurality of modification values.

A multi-scale inspection and intelligent diagnosis system and method for tunnel structural defects includes: a traveling section; a supporting section, disposed on the traveling section, and including a rotatable telescopic platform, where two mechanical arms working in parallel are disposed on the rotatable telescopic platform; an inspection section, mounted on the supporting section, and configured to perform multi-scale inspection on surface defects and internal defects in different depth ranges of a same position of a tunnel structure, and transmit inspected defect information to a control section; and the control section, configured to: construct a deep neural network-based defect diagnosis model; construct a data set by using historical surface defect and internal defect information, and train the deep neural network-based defect diagnosis model; and receive multi-scale inspection information in real time, and automatically recognize types, positions, contours, and dielectric attributes of the internal and surface defects.

A robotic arm is inserted into a passage of a part to be examined. Operator instructions defining a tip motion for a tip of the robotic arm, sensor readings, and an environmental map are received. The operator instructions, the environmental map and sensor readings are applied to a previously trained machine learning model to produce control signals. The control signals to an actuator on the arm to control a movement of the robotic arm allowing the robotic arm to automatically gain traction in the passage and automatically move according to the movement.

Methods and systems are described for controlling movement and an applied force at the tip of the continuum robot that includes a plurality of independently controlled segments along its length. An estimated force at the tip of the continuum robot is determined based on measurements of loads and positions of each segment. A reference position command and a force command are received from a user interface. The reference position command indicates a desired movement for the distal end of the continuum robot and the force command indicates a desired force to be applied by the tip of the continuum robot to a tissue surface. The position of the continuum robot is adjusted to cause the tip of the continuum robot to apply the desired force to the tissue surface based on the estimated force at the tip of the continuum robot, the reference position command, and the force command.

A robot is obtained by a multiple of arm units being continuously connected. Interlocked arm units have mutually coaxial and perfectly circular end faces in a connection portion thereof. One arm unit drives another arm unit so as to rotate centered on an axial line of the connection portion. The robot may include a unit having a curved external form as the arm unit.

Approaches presented herein enable maneuvering collaborative robots to rescue persons in a hydrological disaster. A plurality of robots are dispersed in a body of water to spread out and seek victims using cooperative foraging techniques within resource constraints. A location of victims located by a robot using sensing techniques is communicated to other robots. A situational assessment is performed using victim location information to determine a number of robots to deploy to the location. The deployed robots are directed to perform coordinated maneuvers to create a connected floatation unit to support floatation of victims for rescue.

A continuum robot having at least two independently manipulatable bendable section for advancing the robot through a passage, without contacting fragile elements within the passage, wherein the robot incorporates control algorithms that enable the continuum robot to operate and advance into the passage, as well as the systems and procedures associated with the continuum robot and said functionality.

Systems and methods for an actuation system including a plurality of single actuation units for modular control of a tendon-driven robotic mechanism are disclosed.

A vibrating actuator includes a vibrator and a contact body. The vibrator includes an elastic body and an electrical-mechanical energy transducer. The contact body is long in a predetermined direction and contacts the vibrator. The vibrator and the contact body are relatively moved in the predetermined direction by vibration of the vibrator. An end portion of the long contact body is covered with a viscoelastic body circumferentially with respect to the predetermined direction.