A method of controlling a robot includes: obtaining an inertia matrix and a slack variable of the robot, and determining a momentum equation of the robot according to the inertia matrix and the slack variable; obtaining reference joint angles corresponding to a reference action of the robot; determining an optimization objective function of the momentum equation according to a first preset weight coefficient of the slack variable and a second preset weight coefficient of the reference joint angles; and determining joint angles of the robot according to the optimization objective function, and driving the robot to move according to the joint angles of the robot.

Some robotic arms may include vacuum-based grippers. Detecting the seal quality between each vacuum assembly of the gripper and a grasped object may enable reactivation of some vacuum assemblies, thereby improving the grasp. One embodiment of a method may include activating each of a plurality of vacuum assemblies of a robotic gripper by supplying a vacuum to each vacuum assembly, determining, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly with a first grasped object, deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities, and reactivating each of the deactivated vacuum assemblies within a reactivation interval.

A distributed control system for an autonomous modular robot (AMR) vehicle includes a top module processor disposed in communication with a lower module processor, and memory for storing executable instructions of the top module processor and the lower module processor. The instructions are executable to cause the top module processor and the lower module processor to navigate a bottom module, via the bottom module processor, the AMR vehicle to a target destination. The instructions are further executable to determine, via the bottom module processor, that the AMR vehicle is localized at a target destination, transmit a request for a cargo unloading instruction set, and receive, via a top module processor, a response to a cargo unloading instruction set sent from the bottom module processor. The instructions further cause the top module processor to unload the cargo to a target destination surface via an unloading mechanism associated with the top module.

A vibration suppression device that suppresses vibration of an operation unit in a mechanical system having a natural vibration mode including the operation unit, an actuator unit that operates the operation unit, and an elastic body that couples the operation unit and the actuator unit, the vibration suppression device including a generation means for generating a drive signal for driving the actuator unit, an estimation means for estimating a measurement amount related to the mechanical system, a correction means for correcting the drive signal generated by the generation means on the basis of the measurement amount estimated by the estimation means, and a change means for changing a gain used by the estimation means so that an influence of an increase in a modeling error becomes small in a period in which the modeling error of the mechanical system increases.

A method for retrieving an inventory item based on a handling robot, where the handling robot includes: a storage frame; and a material handling device installed on the storage frame, and including a telescopic arm and a manipulator installed to the telescopic arm; and the method for retrieving an inventory item includes: driving, by the telescopic arm, the manipulator to extend to a preset position of warehouse shelf along a preset horizontal reference line; loading, by the manipulator that is remained on the reference line, the inventory item located in the preset position; driving, by the telescopic arm, the manipulator loaded with the inventory item to move to the storage frame along the reference line; and unloading, by the manipulator that is remained on the reference line, the inventory item to the storage frame.

A self-contained truck-mounted brick laying machine can include a frame that can support packs or pallets of bricks placed on a platform. A transfer robot can pick up and move the brick(s). A carousel can be coaxial with a tower. The carousel can transfer the brick(s) via the tower to an articulated and/or telescoping boom. The bricks can be moved along the boom by, e.g., linearly moving shuttles, to reach a brick laying and adhesive applying head. The brick laying and adhesive applying head can mount to an element of the stick, about an axis which is disposed horizontally. The poise of the brick laying and adhesive applying head about the axis can be adjusted and can be set in use so that the base of a clevis of the robotic arm mounts about a horizontal axis, and the tracker component is disposed uppermost on the brick laying and adhesive applying head. The brick laying and adhesive applying head can apply adhesive to the brick and can have a robot that lays the brick. Vision and laser scanning and tracking systems can be provided to allow the measurement of as-built slabs, bricks, the monitoring and adjustment of the process and the monitoring of safety zones. The first, or any course of bricks can have the bricks pre machined by the router module so that the top of the course is level once laid.

The present invention relates to a system for determining the mass of a payload moved by a working device of a machine, comprising: a lifting-gear element that is movable along a path and is designed to move the working device; a sensor system that is designed to provide a plurality of machine-status signals which indicate a status of the machine; a force sensor system that is designed to provide a lifting-force signal that indicates a force on the lifting-gear element; and a control device that is designed: to use system parameters for load determination that originate from pre-configured CAD data, preferably CAD data that has been pre-configured at the factory, and/or from continuous calibration of system parameters; to carry out calibration using the pre-configured parameters as initialisation if unsatisfactory results are achieved; to carry out the calibration in an unloaded state, i.e. when the working device is empty, with automatically predefined stimulation trajectories being used for the machine or instructions being provided to the operator for stimulating the parameters; to log the system statuses using the sensor and to carry out a system identification of this information; and to determine a mass of the payload on the basis of identified and/or pre-configured system parameters and system statuses, preferably on the basis of a position, a speed, an acceleration of the lifting-gear element and/or a force or torque on the lifting-gear element.

A robot has an operation mode setting unit that sets an operation mode of the robot. The operation mode setting unit changes a correction factor multiplied by the maximum acceleration and the maximum deceleration of an arm and the servo gain of a servo circuit, and thereby selectively sets the operation mode to one of a first operation mode, a second operation mode in which the arm operates faster than in the first operation mode, and a third operation mode in which the arm vibrates less than in the first operation mode.

An electromechanical system operates in part through physical interaction with an operator, and includes a multi-axis robot, a controller, and a counterbalance mechanism connected to the robot. The counterbalance mechanism includes a base structure connected to a set of linkages, a pneumatic cylinder, a spring-loaded cam assembly, and an optional constant force spring. The linkages form a four-bar parallelogram assembly connectable to a load. The cylinder and cam assembly, and optional constant force spring, each impart respective vertical forces to the parallelogram assembly. The forces combine to provide gravity compensation and self-centering functions or behaviors to the load, enabling the load to move with a vertical degree of freedom when manually acted upon by the operator, and to return the load to a nominal center position.

A method for controlling a mechanical system having a plurality of components interlinked by a plurality of driven joints, the method comprising: measuring torques or forces about or at the driven joints and forming a load signal representing the measured torques or forces; receiving a motion demand signal representing a desired state of the system; implementing an impedance control algorithm in dependence on the motion demand signal and the load signal to form a target signal indicating a target configuration for each of the driven joints; measuring the configuration of each of the driven joints and forming a state signal representing the measured configurations; and forming a set of drive signals for the joints by, for each joint, comparing the target configuration of that joint as indicated by the target signal to the measured configuration of that joint as indicated by the state signal.