The disclosure relates to a system and method for verifying robot data that is used by a safety system monitoring a workspace shared by a human and robot. One or more sensors monitoring the workspace are arranged to obtain a three-dimensional view of the workspace. Raw data from each of the sensors is acquired and analyzed to determine the positioning and spatial relationship between the human and robot as both move throughout the workspace. This captured data is compared to the positional data obtained from the robot to assess whether discrepancies exist between the data sets. If the information from the sensors does not sufficiently match the data from the robot, then a signal from the system may be sent to deactivate the robot and prevent potential injury to the human.

A robot system includes: a recognition means that recognizes an operator in distance image data as a security surveillance target; an area setting means that sets, in the distance image data, a common work area that a robot and the operator are allowed to enter; and a boundary setting means that sets, in the distance image data, a first boundary that the operator S is allowed to cross for entering the common work area but the robot is not allowed to cross, and a second boundary that the robot is allowed to cross for entering the common work area but the operator is not allowed to cross, wherein the crossing of the second boundary by the security surveillance target and the crossing of the first boundary by a non-target object not recognized as the security surveillance target are detected.

Apparatus and methods for navigation of a robotic device configured to operate in an environment comprising objects and/or persons. Location of objects and/or persons may changed prior and/or during operation of the robot. In one embodiment, a bistatic sensor comprises a transmitter and a receiver. The receiver may be spatially displaced from the transmitter. The transmitter may project a pattern on a surface in the direction of robot movement. In one variant, the pattern comprises an encoded portion and an information portion. The information portion may be used to communicate information related to robot movement to one or more persons. The encoded portion may be used to determine presence of one or more object in the path of the robot. The receiver may sample a reflected pattern and compare it with the transmitted pattern. Based on a similarity measure breaching a threshold, indication of object present may be produced.

To provide a robot control system that performs a process by a robot for a continuously-moving process target or a repeatedly-moving/stopped process target, the robot control system being configured so that even in a case where the robot process cannot be properly performed in the robot control system, disadvantages such as occurrence of damage of equipment can be avoided by sensing of such failure in the robot process. The robot control system includes a robot that performs a process for a process target, a control unit that controls drive of the robot, a first area setting unit that sets a first area where the process is performed for the process target, and a second area setting unit that sets a second area outside the first area such that the robot performs a retraction motion when a working apparatus provided at the robot moves out of the first area and enters the second area while the robot is following the moving process target.

Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for planning a trajectory (11) through an anatomical body part (1), the trajectory (11) being usable for a medical procedure and the method comprising executing, on at least one processor of at least one computer, steps of: • a) acquiring (S1), at a processor, patient image data describing a medical image of a patient anatomical body part being the anatomical body part (1) in a patient's body; • b) acquiring (S2), at a processor, atlas trajectory data describing a model anatomical body part being a model of the patient anatomical body part, and describing the position of at least one predetermined trajectory through the model anatomical body part; • c) acquiring (S3), at a processor, critical structure data describing the position of at least one critical structure (5) in the model anatomical body part or in the patient anatomical body part; • d) determining (S4), by a processor and based on the patient image data and the atlas trajectory data and the critical structure, mapping data describing a mapping of the model anatomical body part, of the position of the at least one predetermined trajectory and of the position of the at least one critical structure (5) onto the medical image of the patient anatomical body part; • e) determining (S5), by a processor and based on the mapping data and the atlas trajectory data and the patient image data, analysis region data describing an analysis region in the patient image data, the analysis region (16) having a position in the patient anatomical body part fulfilling a predetermined spatial condition relative to the position of the mapped predetermined trajectory (6); • f) determining (S6), by the processor and based on the patient image data and the atlas trajectory data and the analysis region data and the critical structure data, straight trajectory data describing a straight line trajectory (11) through the patient anatomical body part having a position fulfilling a predetermined spatial condition relative to the position of at least one critical structure (5) in the patient anatomical body part.

Crosstalk mitigation among cameras in neighboring monitored workcells is achieved by computationally defining a noninterference scheme that respects the independent monitoring and operation of each workcell. The scheme may involve communication between adjacent cells to adjudicate non-interfering camera operation or system-wide mapping of interference risks and mitigation thereof. Mitigation strategies can involve time-division and/or frequency-division multiplexing.

A device and method for easily detecting an abnormality of a joint part of a delta-type parallel link robot having a link ball structure, by estimating a friction torque of a ball joint of the robot. A controller of the robot has: a control section configured to control the motion of the robot; a torque measurement section configured to measure or calculate, during the robot is operated, an amount of change in a drive torque, based on a current value of the motor, before and after the robot represents a specified posture where a sign of a relative angular velocity between a ball and a housing of the ball joint is changed; and a judgment section configured to judge that, when the measured amount of change in the drive torque exceeds a predetermined threshold, a friction state of the ball joint corresponding to the motor is abnormal.

A cooperation system that allows a robot and one or more operators to work together in cooperation, the cooperation system includes a calculator, a generator, and a providing unit. The calculator calculates a risk value that indicates a risk of interference between a manipulator of the robot and an object around the manipulator. The generator generates, depending on the risk value, a command that causes the manipulator to operate so as to avoid the interference between the manipulator and the object. The providing unit provides information in which a relationship between the risk value and a position of the manipulator is visualized.

A virtual bumper configured to protect a component of a robotic device from damage is provided. The virtual bumper comprises a plurality of distance sensors arranged on the robotic device and at least one computing device configured to receive distance measurement signals from the plurality of distance sensors, detect, based on the received distance measurement signals, at least one object in a motion path of the component, and control the robot to change one or more operations of the robot to avoid a collision between the component and the at least one object.

A method of constrained mobility mapping includes receiving from at least one sensor of a robot at least one original set of sensor data and a current set of sensor data. Here, each of the at least one original set of sensor data and the current set of sensor data corresponds to an environment about the robot. The method further includes generating a voxel map including a plurality of voxels based on the at least one original set of sensor data. The plurality of voxels includes at least one ground voxel and at least one obstacle voxel. The method also includes generating a spherical depth map based on the current set of sensor data and determining that a change has occurred to an obstacle represented by the voxel map based on a comparison between the voxel map and the spherical depth map. The method additional includes updating the voxel map to reflect the change to the obstacle.