A tool path for treating a shoe upper may be generated to treat substantially only the surface of the shoe bounded by a bite line. The bite line may be defined to correspond to the junction of the shoe upper and a shoe bottom unit. Bite line data and three-dimensional profile data representing at least a portion of a surface of a shoe upper bounded by a bite line may be utilized in combination to generate a tool path for processing the surface of the upper, such as automated application of adhesive to the surface of a lasted upper bounded by a bite line.

A self-contained truck-mounted brick laying machine (2) is described. A truck (1) supports the brick laying machine (2) which is mounted on a frame (3) on the truck chassis. The frame (3) supports packs or pallets of bricks (52, 53) placed on a platform (51). A transfer robot can then pick up an individual brick and move it to, or between either a saw (46) or a router (47) or a carousel (48). The carousel is located coaxially with a tower (10), at the base of the tower (10). The carousel (48) transfers the brick via the tower (10) to an articulated (folding about horizontal axis (16)) telescoping boom comprising first boom element in the form of telescopic boom (12, 14) and second boom element in the form of telescopic stick (15, 17, 18, 19, 20). The bricks are moved along the folding telescoping boom by linearly moving shuttles, to reach a brick laying and adhesive applying head (32). The brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) mounts to element (20) of the stick, about an axis (33) which is disposed horizontally. The poise of the brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) about the axis (33) is adjusted and is set in use so that the base (811) of a clevis (813) of the robotic arm (36) mounts about a horizontal axis, and the tracker component (130) is disposed uppermost on the brick laying and adhesive applying head (32). The brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) applies adhesive to the brick and has a robot that lays the brick. Vision and laser scanning and tracking systems are 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 (47) so that the top of the course is level once laid.

A sealant discharging apparatus includes a sealing gun, a movement controller, a discharge controller, a measuring instrument, and an air bubble detector. The sealing gun is configured to discharge sealant to an object. The movement controller is configured to cause the sealing gun and the object to move relatively. The discharge controller is configured to control a discharge amount of the sealant discharged from the sealing gun. The measuring instrument is configured to measure a distance to a sealant pool that has been discharged from the sealing gun and yet to be used to seal the object. The air bubble detector is configured detect mixture of an air bubble in the sealant discharged from the sealing gun, on a basis of a result of measurement by the measuring instrument.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a robotic system and method. The system may include a robot and a three dimensional sensor device associated with the robot configured to scan a welding area and generate a scanned welding area. The system may include a processor configured to receive the scanned welding area and to generate a three dimensional point cloud based upon, at least in part the scanned welding area. The processor may be further configured to perform processing on the three dimensional point cloud in a two-dimensional domain. The processor may be further configured to generate one or more three dimensional welding paths and to simulate the one or more three dimensional welding paths.

There is provided a method of controlling a mobile manipulator for tracking a surface. The mobile manipulator includes a mobile base movable in an axial direction of the mobile manipulator and a manipulator supported on the mobile base having an end effector adjustable in a lateral direction of the mobile manipulator. The method includes detecting the surface from the mobile manipulator, including positions of the surface at points along the surface, determining a reference path for the end effector to track based on an offset from the surface detected, determining a tracking error in the reference path determined, and adjusting a position of the end effector in the lateral direction based on the tracking error to compensate for the tracking error in the reference path determined. There is also provided a corresponding mobile manipulator.

Robotic control systems and methods may include providing an end effector tool of a robotic device configured to perform a task on a work surface within a worksite coordinate frame. Unintended movement over time of the end effector tool with respect to the work surface and with respect to the worksite coordinate frame may be determined based on image data indicative of the work surface, first location data indicative of a first location of the end effector tool with respect to the worksite coordinate frame, and second location data indicative of a second location of the end effector tool with respect to the work surface. One or more control signals for the robotic device may be adjusted in order to counteract the unintended movements of the end effector tool with respect to the work surface and worksite coordinate frame.

A control device includes a control section configured to control a motion of a robot arm using values detected by a plurality of distance sensors. The plurality of distance sensors include a first distance sensor and a second distance sensor disposed in a first direction orthogonal to the axial direction of a dispenser. The second distance sensor is disposed in a position further apart from the dispenser than the first distance sensor. The control section executes, on a robot, a first instruction for causing the robot to execute discharge of a discharge object by the dispenser when a distance acquired by the first distance sensor is a distance in a predetermined range and a distance acquired by the second distance sensor is a distance larger than the distance in the predetermined range.

A system for operating a robotic arm, comprises a controller and a robotic arm. The controller accesses an image of the rear of dairy livestock located in a stall of a rotary milking platform and, in conjunction with the stall of the rotary milking platform in which a dairy livestock is located moving into an area adjacent a robotic arm, determines whether a milking cluster is attached to the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the image. The robotic arm is communicatively coupled to the controller and extends between the legs of the dairy livestock if the controller determines that the milking cluster is not attached to the dairy livestock. The robotic arm does not extend between the legs of the dairy livestock if the controller determines that the milking cluster is attached to the dairy livestock.

A method for applying disinfectant to the teats of a dairy livestock includes determining that a stall of a rotary milking platform housing a dairy livestock is located adjacent to a track that has a carriage carrying a robotic arm. The method continues by communicating a first signal that causes operation of a first actuator such that the carriage moves along the track in relation to the rotary milking platform and independent of any physical coupling between the carriage and the rotary milking platform and in a direction corresponding to a direction of rotation of the rotary milking platform. The method concludes by communicating one or more additional signals that causes operation of one or more actuators of the robotic arm such that at least a portion of the robotic arm extends between the hind legs of a dairy livestock.

Manufacturing of a shoe is enhanced by creating 3-D models of shoe parts. For example, a laser beam may be projected onto a shoe-part surface, such that a projected laser line appears on the shoe part. An image of the projected laser line may be analyzed to determine coordinate information, which may be converted into geometric coordinate values usable to create a 3-D model of the shoe part. Once a 3-D model is known and is converted to a coordinate system recognized by shoe-manufacturing tools, certain manufacturing steps may be automated.