In an embodiment, a method and system use various sensors to determine a shape of a collection of materials (e.g., foodstuffs). A controller can determine a trajectory which achieves the desired end-state, possibly chosen from a set of feasible, collision-free trajectories to execute, and a robot executes that trajectory. The robot, executing that trajectory, scoops, grabs, or otherwise acquires the desired amount of material from the collection of materials at a desired location. The robot then deposits the collected material in the desired receptacle at a specific location and orientation.

Provided is an obstacle search device of a robot system, capable of creating a robot operation path in which it is not necessary to input information manually, human errors are eliminated, and the robot does not interfere with an obstacle efficiently and accurately. An obstacle search device of a robot system, for automatically specifying a region where an obstacle is present so that an operation path in which a robot does not interfere with an obstacle can be generated automatically includes: a non-contact three-dimensional measuring unit attached to the robot; and an obstacle search unit that searches for an obstacle in a search space using the three-dimensional measuring unit.

A robot controller includes a contact detection unit that detects contact of a welding wire protruding from a welding torch with a welding target, an override-value adjustment unit that sets and changes an override value for increasing or decreasing an operating speed of the robot from a predetermined speed, and a control unit which receives an operation signal from a teaching operation device and that controls the robot according to the operation signal at the operating speed based on the override value which is set by the override-value adjustment unit. When the contact of the welding wire with the welding target is detected by the contact detection unit, the control unit temporarily stops the robot, and the override-value adjustment unit decreases the override value.

A harvesting device includes: a harvesting unit that harvests an object to be harvested; a harvesting unit-moving unit that moves the harvesting unit to an appropriate position for harvesting the object to be harvested; an imaging unit that captures an image; and a controller, wherein the controller performs a first step of determining, based on the image, whether or not interference between the harvesting unit and an obstacle occurs when the harvesting unit is positioned at the appropriate position, a second step of determining, based on the image, whether or not interference between the harvesting unit-moving unit and the obstacle occurs when the harvesting unit is positioned at the appropriate position, when it is determined in the first step that the interference does not occur, and a third step of causing the harvesting unit to harvest the object to be harvested when it is determined in the second step that the interference does not occur.

A harvesting device includes a harvesting unit that harvests an object to be harvested, a harvesting unit moving unit that moves the harvesting unit to an appropriate position for harvesting the object to be harvested, a main body on which the harvesting unit and the harvesting unit moving unit are provided, a main body moving unit that moves the main body, and a controller. The controller executes a first step of determining whether or not one or more obstacles interfere with the harvesting unit when the harvesting unit is positioned at the appropriate position, a second step of determining whether or not the one or the plurality of obstacles interfere with the harvesting unit-moving unit when the harvesting unit is positioned at the appropriate position when it is determined that the interference does not occur in the first step, and a third step of causing the harvesting unit to harvest the object to be harvested when it is determined that the interference does not occur in the second step.

Exemplary embodiments relate to user-assisted robotic control systems, user interfaces for remote control of robotic systems, vision systems in robotic control systems, and modular grippers for use by robotic systems. The systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable media instructions described interact with and control robotic systems, in particular pick and place systems using soft robotic actuators to grasp, move and release target objects.

A method for monitoring a working environment of a movable device utilizing a monitoring apparatus, wherein the working environment includes a working area and at least one protected area and the movable device is located within the working area during normal operation of said movable device, where the method includes a user inputting a plurality of convex polytopes into the monitoring apparatus, the convex polytopes corresponding to areas in which the movable device is located during normal operation, determining a convex polytope hull using the monitoring apparatus, the convex polytope hull completely enclosing the multiplicity of convex polytopes, and determining the at least one protected area by calculating a difference from the convex polytope hull and the input using the monitoring apparatus, such that monitoring of the position of the movable device is simplified because the working area can be modeled autonomously.

An automated method determines a safety zone for a robot. The robot carries out operations along a specified trajectory. For collision-free operation, a safety zone is determined by: dividing the specified trajectory into a plurality of subtrajectories; determining a plurality of fine-grained envelope cuboids around extreme points of each subtrajectory; and determining a number of optimized envelope cuboids from an enlargement of individual fine-grained envelope cuboids in relation to the volume occupied by the enlarged fine-grained envelope cuboids. The optimized envelope cuboids determined in this way form the safety zone for the trajectory. This automated method can be expanded to multiple trajectories of a robot, multiple robots, and replanning a trajectory for an occupied semaphore zone.

A picking apparatus in an embodiment includes: a gripper, an arm, a detector, and a control unit. The gripper picks and grips an object to be conveyed. The arm moves the gripper and causes the gripper to convey the object to be conveyed. The detector is attached to the arm and senses a force applied to the gripper. The control unit controls an operation of the gripper and the arm. The control unit includes a calculator and a subtractor. The calculator calculates a gravitational force and an inertial force applied to the gripper when the gripper grips and moves the object to be conveyed using an arithmetic expression including a coefficient determined in accordance with a mass of the object to be conveyed. The subtractor subtracts the gravitational force and the inertial force calculated by the calculator from a force applied to the gripper sensed by the detector.

The future of manufacturing, agriculture, distribution, healthcare, and virtually every other labor-intensive endeavor is robotic - a multitude of autonomous, mobile, robotic systems. One of the many problems this will bring is the coordination of independently-navigating robots in limited spaces. Communication is the key to coordination. Examples herein provide means for robots to identify and localize each other in real-time using pulses of visible or infrared light, synchronized with wireless messages in 5G or 6G. For example, a fixed-position robot such as an assembly device can identify a mobile robot bringing raw components, by exchanging synchronized pulses and messages. Busy robots in a distribution center can avoid collisions and improve throughput by coordinating with other proximate robots, using the communication tools provided herein. Fixed-position robots can enforce boundary conditions and provide oversight, keeping innumerable mobile devices in-lane and on-task. Many other aspects and applications are provided.