A cleaning apparatus includes at least one detection device for detecting soiling on a vehicle to be cleaned and at least one cleaning device for cleaning the vehicle. A control device controls the at least one cleaning device in dependence on the detected soiling. The at least one cleaning device includes at least one multi-axis robot for positioning a cleaning element relative to the vehicle. The cleaning apparatus enables simple, fast and reliable automatic cleaning of the vehicle.

The robotic device conducts an action on a curved ferromagnetic surface. The robotic device includes a chassis platform and at least one magnetic side drive module. The chassis platform rolls on the curved ferromagnetic surface and is maintained thereon by virtue of the curved ferromagnetic surface being ferromagnetic. The at least one magnetic side drive module is pivotally attached to the chassis platform and is for conducting the action on the curved ferromagnetic surface as the chassis platform rolls on the curved ferromagnetic surface.

Systems and methods for determining a location of a robot are provided. A method includes receiving, by a processor, a signal from a deformable sensor including data with respect to a deformation region in a deformable membrane of the deformable sensor resulting from contact with a first object. The data associated with contact with the first object is compared, by the processor, to details associated with contact with the first object to information associated with a plurality of objects stored in a database. The first object is identified, by the processor, as a first identified object of the plurality of objects stored in the database. The first identified object is an object of the plurality of objects stored in the database that is most similar to the first object. The location of the robot is determined, by the processor, based on a location of the first identified object.

A method of operating a mobile cleaning robot can include receiving a privacy mode setting from a user interface, where the privacy mode setting is based on a user selection between at least two different privacy mode settings for determining whether to operate the mobile cleaning robot in an image-capture-restricted mode. An image stream of an image capture device of the mobile cleaning robot is permitted in an absence of a user-selection of a more restrictive one of the privacy settings. At least a portion of the image stream is restricted or disabled based at least in part on a user-selection of a more restrictive one of the privacy settings.

Disclosed herein are a method of localization using multi sensors and a robot implementing the same, the method including sensing a distance between an object placed outside of a robot and the robot and generating a first LiDAR frame by a LiDAR sensor of the robot while a moving unit moves the robot, capturing an image of an object placed outside of the robot and generating a first visual frame by a camera sensor of the robot, and comparing a LiDAR frame stored in a map storage of the robot with the first LiDAR frame, comparing a visual frame registered in a frame node of a pose graph with the first visual frame, determining accuracy of comparison's results of the first LiDAR frame, and calculating a current position of the robot by a controller.

Systems, devices, apparatus and methods for cleaning contaminated tanks without introducing large amounts of free water or liquefier into the tanks. A gathering arm assembly and a bucket assembly is used to remove and break up waste debris from a contaminated tank.

Systems and methods are directed to automated delivery systems. In one example, a vehicle is provided including a drive system, a passenger cabin; and a delivery service pod provided relative to the passenger cabin. The delivery service pod includes an access unit configured to allow for loading and unloading of a plurality of delivery crates into the delivery service pod. The delivery service pod further includes a conveyor unit comprising multiple delivery crate holding positions, the delivery crate holding positions being defined by neighboring sidewalls spaced apart within the delivery service pod such that a respective delivery crate of the plurality of delivery crates can be positioned between neighboring sidewalls, wherein the conveyor unit is configured to be rotated to align each of the delivery crate holding positions with the access unit.

There is provided a cleaning robot including a light source module, an image sensor and a processor. The light source module projects a line pattern and a speckle pattern toward a moving direction. The image sensor captures an image of the line pattern and an image of the speckle pattern. The processor calculates one-dimensional depth information according to the image of the line pattern and calculates two-dimensional depth information according to the image of the speckle pattern.

A cleaning machine and a path planning method of the cleaning machine are provided. According to one embodiment of the invention, a cleaning machine for cleaning a surface is provided. The cleaning machine includes a sensing module and a control system. The sensing module senses an environment of the cleaning machine to obtain map data. The control system divides the map data into multiple blocks, and controls the cleaning machine to perform a first cleaning process and a second cleaning process in a current block of the blocks, and then controls the cleaning machine to move to a next block of the blocks.

Provided are methods and apparatus for environment-adaptive robotic disinfecting. In an example, provided is a method that can include (i) creating, from digital images, a map of a structure; (ii) identifying a location of a robot in the structure; (iii) segmenting, using a machine learning-based classifying algorithm trained based on object affordance information, the digital images to identify potentially contaminated surfaces within the structure; (iv) creating a map of potentially contaminated surfaces within the structure; (v) calculating a trajectory of movement of the robot to move the robot to a location of a potentially contaminated surface in the potentially contaminated surfaces; and (vi) moving the robot along the trajectory of movement to position a directional decontaminant source adjacent to the potentially contaminated surface. Other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.