A robotic cart platform with a navigation and movement system that integrates into a conventional utility cart to provide both manual and autonomous modes of operation. The platform includes a drive unit with drive wheels replacing the front wheels of the cart. The drive unit has motors, encoders, a processor and a microcontroller. The system has a work environment mapping sensor and a cabled array of proximity and weight sensors, lights, control panel, battery and on/off, “GO” and emergency stop buttons secured throughout the cart. The encoders obtain drive shaft rotation data that the microcontroller periodically sends to the processor. When in autonomous mode, the system provides navigation, movement and location tracking with or without wireless connection to a server. Stored destinations are set using its location tracking to autonomously navigate the cart. When in manual mode, battery power is off, and back-up power is supplied to the encoders and microcontroller, which continue to obtain shaft rotation data. When in autonomous mode, the shaft rotation data obtained during manual mode is used to determine the present cart location.

A system and method of determining orientation of a physical location on a cart or end effector located on the cart in an independent cart. system receives a feedback signal from a sensor on the cart, A multi-axis device may generate three or more signals corresponding to X, Y, and Z axes orientations. Processing may be performed on the signals to generate a value of yaw, pitch, or roll of the cart. The feedback or processed signals are transmitted from the mover to a remote device external from the track. The real-time orientation information may be used to implement closed-loop control of an actuator mounted on or external to each cart as the cart travels along the track, Power for the devices on the mover may be provided by a battery mounted on the cart or by a wireless power transfer system.

A three wheeled electric cargo transporter is provided. The electric cargo transporter has a front wheel including an electric motor inside a hub of the front wheel. The electric cargo transporter also has a rear platform including a base and a pair of rear wheels. The electric cargo transporter further has an arm assembly including a pair of parallel arm bars, a lower crossbar, and an upper crossbar. The electric cargo transporter also has a trailing shaft connected to the base of the rear platform at a first end and connected to the lower crossbar of the arm assembly at an opposite second end.

A collaborative autonomous ground vehicle or robot for traversing a ground surface is disclosed. The robot is a wheeled vehicle includes two camera groups and other sensors to sense the environment in which the robot will operate. The robot includes a control system configured to operate in a teach mode to learn a route by either following a person or preceding a person and to store the learned route as a taught route. The control system is configured for identifying persons and objects, such as obstacles, within the fields of view of the camera groups. When the robot is in its repeat mode it will take the taught route over the ground surface and take appropriate action if an obstacle is identified in the field of view.

A moving body (1) includes: a main body (2) having an opening (17); and a control unit that performs control so that the main body (2) moves in a moving space in a state where at least a part of an object existing in the moving space is inserted to the opening (17).

A system and method of determining orientation of a physical location on a cart or end effector located on the cart in an independent cart system receives a feedback signal from a sensor on the cart. A multi-axis device may generate three or more signals corresponding to X, Y, and Z axes orientations. Processing may be performed on the signals to generate a value of yaw, pitch, or roll of the cart. The feedback or processed signals are transmitted from the mover to a remote device external from the track. The real-time orientation information may be used to implement closed-loop control of an actuator mounted on or external to each cart as the cart travels along the track. Power for the devices on the mover may be provided by a battery mounted on the cart or by a wireless power transfer system.

A collaborative autonomous ground vehicle or robot for traversing a ground surface is disclosed. The robot is a wheeled vehicle includes two camera groups and other sensors to sense the environment in which the robot will operate. The robot includes a control system configured to operate in a teach mode to learn a route by either following a person or preceding a person and to store the learned route as a taught route. The control system is configured for identifying persons and objects, such as obstacles, within the fields of view of the camera groups. When the robot is in its repeat mode it will take the taught route over the ground surface and take appropriate action if an obstacle is identified in the field of view.

Disclosed herein is a system and method for controlling a moveable device utilizing risk control barrier functions. In one example, a system for controlling a moveable device includes a processor and memory containing programming executable by the processor. The programming is configured to receive various information about the moveable device and receive a risk tolerance for a user and calculate a risk control barrier function. The programming is configured to receive a command from the user to alter the state of the moveable device; calculate a dynamic coherent risk measurement based on the risk tolerance of the user and in respect to the risk control barrier function in respect to the command from the user to alter the state of the moveable device; determine whether the dynamic coherence risk measurement is beyond a tuning parameter at the current state of the moveable device.

Mobile devices described herein relate to assisting users. In one embodiment, a mobile device for assisting a user is disclosed. The mobile device includes a motor, one or more sensors, a processor, and a memory communicably coupled to the processor and including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine, using sensor data from the one or more sensors, a signature of the user that is operating the mobile device, the signature indicating at least attributes about movement of the user. The instructions include instructions to responsive to determining that the signature satisfies a trigger, adjust a speed of the mobile device by controlling the motor.

An electrically powered, self-propelled cart for safely delivering heavy loads, such as concrete, within job sites with unlevel, irregular, or sloped terrain. A cargo bucket is tiltable over front drive wheels for transporting and dumping cargo. Electric drive motors associated with a transaxle propel wheels at a selectable speed in response to an electric control module. A steering column rotates in response to manually operated handle bars and activates a sensor to generate signals delivered to the control module for throttle adjustments. The sensor may be a linear potentiometer, a rotary differential transformer or a rotary encoder or shaft encoder measuring angular displacement. Extreme steering displacements will electrically reduce cart speed notwithstanding the previous speed setting chosen by the operator through the steering column.