A fenceless system and method for automatically moving one or more items between a structure at a source location and a destination using a robot is provided. The system comprises a robot having an end effector to selectively grasp an item. A trajectory planning controller directs the robot to move the item between a source location and a destination. A touch sensor detects a contact between an external object and a surface of the robot or a surface surrounding the end effector; and a proximity sensor detects a person in proximity to the robot. A vision sensor detects a location and orientation of items to be moved. The robot moves in proximity to a person without a safety fence preventing the person from contacting the robot. The system adjusts a speed of the robot in response to detecting a person in one of a plurality of zones around the robot.

Techniques are described that determine motion of a robot's body that will maintain an end effector within a useable workspace when the end effector moves according to a predicted future trajectory. The techniques may include determining or otherwise obtaining the predicted future trajectory of the end effector and utilizing the predicted future trajectory to determine any motion of the body that is necessary to maintain the end effector within the useable workspace. In cases where no such motion of the body is necessary because the predicted future trajectory indicates the end effector will stay within the useable workspace without motion of the body, the body may remain stationary, thereby avoiding the drawbacks caused by unnecessary motion described above. Otherwise, the body of the robot can be moved while the end effector moves to ensure that the end effector stays within the useable workspace.

A robot system includes a robot configured to operate in cooperation with a person, a specifying section configured to specify a person present in a region at a predetermined distance from the robot, and a control section configured to decelerate or stop the operation of the robot when the presence of the person in the region is specified by the specifying section. The control section changes the distance based on a result of specifying the person by the specifying section.

The system, devices and methods herein enable autonomous and tele-operation of tele-operated robots for maintenance of a property around known and unknown obstacles. A method may include using an unmanned aerial vehicle for obtaining additional data relating to the property and obstacles within the property and plan a path around the obstacles using data from sensors on-board the tele-operated robot and the aerial image. A method may also provide optimization of total time needed for performing the property maintenance and the labor costs in situations where manual intervention is needed for navigating the tele-operated robot around obstacles on the property or for removing obstacles on the property.

A robotic arm system for surgery is described. The method includes: processing circuitry configured to: apply a virtual barrier preventing a human controlled surgical device from entering an area within a surgical scene; and release the virtual barrier in response to a gesture.

A method for projecting safety-related monitoring for a multi-axis kinematic system with multiple movable segments. The method includes assigning multiple respective segment kinematic zones to in each case one or more segments of the multi-axis kinematic system, wherein the respective segment kinematic zones are formed by segment bounding volumes in dependence on the respective segments, providing respective movements of the respective segments in the Cartesian space, ascertaining for each segment spatial elements to be passed through as a result of the respective movements provided, determining for each segment respective overall bounding volumes as respective segment working zones on the basis of the ascertained spatial elements to be passed through, and providing the respective segment working zones for the projecting of a safety function of the safety-related monitoring.

A method and apparatus for determining a trajectory of a robot's end effector are disclosed. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a force obtaining device to obtain a collision force of the end effector of the robot, caused by a collision of the end effector upon the collision being detected; and a trajectory determining device to determine a second trajectory of the end effector based on the collision force of the end effector obtained, and based on a recorded first trajectory of the end effector. The recorded first trajectory is a trajectory recorded before the collision, and the second trajectory is a trajectory determined after the collision. As such, an efficient protection for the robot and its working environment at the moment of collision may be achieved.

Devices, systems, and methods for social behavior of a telepresence robot are disclosed herein. A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an object detection system, and a social behaviors component. The drive system is configured to move the telepresence robot. The control system is configured to control the drive system to drive the telepresence robot around a work area. The object detection system is configured to detect a human in proximity to the telepresence robot. The social behaviors component is configured to provide instructions to the control system to cause the telepresence robot to operate according to a first set of rules when a presence of one or more humans is not detected and operate according to a second set of rules when the presence of one or more humans is detected.

A sensor-based item transport system, and a method therefore are described. The system includes, for example, a cart station, within a restricted area including a plurality of automated drive. A light curtain is adjacent to the cart station. A first sensor and a second sensor are spaced apart from the first sensor within the cart station. A first mode associated with the light curtain is maintained causing an alarm system associated with the light curtain to remain armed. The first mode is caused to change to a second mode associated with the light curtain, the second mode causing the alarm system to be muted, based at least in part on the identity of the cart. The identity is determined based at least in part on one or more signals received from the first sensor and the second sensor.

Provided is a method for testing an autonomous system of which a virtual image exists, the virtual image including at least one virtual image of an autonomous component including the following steps: a) Acquiring of component data providing information in relation to a movement of the at least one virtual image of the autonomous component; b) Creating, in the virtual image, at least one virtual object; c) Generating, in the virtual image, a corpus around the at least one virtual object or/and the virtual image of the at least one component; d) Representing, in the virtual image, a movement of the at least one virtual object or/and the virtual image of the at least one autonomous component; e) Acquiring reaction data in relation to the movement of the at least one virtual object or/and the virtual image; f) Evaluating a feasible course of movement considering the reaction data.