Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for optimizing a plan for one or more robots using a process definition graph. One of the methods includes receiving a process definition graph for a robot, the process definition graph having a plurality of action nodes. One or more of the action nodes are motion nodes that represent a motion to be taken by the robot from a respective start location to an end location. It is determined that a motion node satisfies one or more splitting criteria, and in response to determining that the motion node satisfies the one or more splitting criteria, the process definition graph is modified. Modifying the process definition graph includes splitting the motion node into two or more separate motion nodes whose respective paths can be scheduled independently.

A method and corresponding apparatus for collision-free motion planning of a first manipulator in a first working space and a second manipulator in a second working space, wherein the first and second working spaces at least partially overlap. The method includes the steps of importing a first dynamic roadmap for a first configuration space of the first manipulator, wherein the first dynamic roadmap includes a first search graph and a first mapping between the first working space and the first search graph, and importing a second dynamic roadmap for a second configuration space of the second manipulator, wherein the second dynamic roadmap includes a second search graph and a second mapping between the second working space and the second search graph. Furthermore, the motion of the first manipulator and the second manipulator are coordinated based on the first dynamic roadmap and the second dynamic roadmap.

Telerobotic, telesurgical, and/or surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods employ surgical robotic linkages that may have more degrees of freedom than an associated surgical end effector in space. A processor can calculate a tool motion that includes pivoting of the tool about an aperture site. Linkages movable along a range of configurations for a given end effector position may be driven toward configurations which inhibit collisions. Refined robotic linkages and methods for their use are also provided.

A method for picking and placing items includes the steps of: providing a picking conveyor transporting items to be picked; providing a placing conveyor to which the items are to be placed; and providing a plurality of robots configured to move the items from pick positions on the picking conveyor to place positions on the placing conveyor. For at least one of the plurality of robots there is defined an actual work area A.sub.ac that fulfils the condition A.sub.ac<A.sub.th−(A.sub.ol+A.sub.ex), wherein A.sub.th is a theoretical work area, A.sub.ol is an overlapping work area and A.sub.ex is an excessive work area of the respective robot. By limiting the actual work area A.sub.ac of the robots more than what is done conventionally, the total workload between the robots in pick and place systems may be balanced.

A method for characterising the environment of a robot, the robot having a flexible arm having a plurality of joints, a datum carried by the arm, a plurality of drivers arranged to drive the joints to move and a plurality of position sensors for sensing the position of each of the joints, the method comprising: contacting the datum carried by the arm with a first datum on a second robot in the environment of the first robot, wherein the second robot has a flexible arm having a plurality of joints, and a plurality of drivers arranged to drive those joints to move; calculating in dependence on the outputs of the position sensors a distance between a reference location defined in a frame of reference local to the robot and the first datum; and controlling the drivers to reconfigure the first arm in dependence on at least the calculated distance.

A robot apparatus includes a storage that stores first instructional information which serves as a guide to first work operation, an acquirer that acquires second instructional information which serves as a guide to second work operation similar to the first work operation or second work operation related to the first work operation from a different apparatus having the second instructional information, and a work controller that performs the first work operation based on the first instructional information stored in the storage and the second work operation based on the second instructional information acquired by the acquirer.

A cooperative robotic arm system includes a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm and a controller. The first robotic arm has first working vector. The second robotic arm has second working vector. The controller is configured to: (1) control the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm to stop moving; (2) determine whether a first projection vector of the first working vector projected on a first coordinate axis and a second working vector projected on the first coordinate axis overlaps; (3) when they overlap, determine whether a third projection vector of the first working vector projected on a second coordinate axis and a fourth projection vector of the second working vector projected on the second coordinate axis overlap; and, (4). when they do no overlap, control a controlled-to-moved one of the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm to move along a reset path.

The future of manufacturing, agriculture, distribution, healthcare, and virtually every other labor-intensive endeavor is robotic - a multitude of autonomous, mobile, robotic systems. One of the many problems this will bring is the coordination of independently-navigating robots in limited spaces. Communication is the key to coordination. Examples herein provide means for robots to identify and localize each other in real-time using pulses of visible or infrared light, synchronized with wireless messages in 5G or 6G. For example, a fixed-position robot such as an assembly device can identify a mobile robot bringing raw components, by exchanging synchronized pulses and messages. Busy robots in a distribution center can avoid collisions and improve throughput by coordinating with other proximate robots, using the communication tools provided herein. Fixed-position robots can enforce boundary conditions and provide oversight, keeping innumerable mobile devices in-lane and on-task. Many other aspects and applications are provided.

A dual-manipulator control method is configured to be used in a dual-manipulator control system including a first manipulator, a second manipulator, and a central control module. The first manipulator and the second manipulator are controlled by the central control module, and the central control module is configured to execute the dual-manipulator control method. The dual-manipulator control method includes: generating a first instruction sequence to control the first manipulator and a second instruction sequence to control the second manipulator; and controlling the first manipulator and the second manipulator based on the first instruction sequence and the second instruction sequence. Thus, the working efficiency is improved.

A deadlock avoidance motion planning technique for a multi-robot system. The technique includes online calculation of swept volumes for upcoming robot motion segments, and uses the swept volumes to compute one or more overlap zones, which are published to all robot controllers. Swept volume calculation is based on actual upcoming tool path, including adaptive conditions such as jumps and offsets. Robot controllers check at each time step whether an overlap zone will be entered and whether another robot is already in the zone. When a robot determines that it is about to enter a zone that is occupied, the robot holds position until the zone is vacated. Robots publish zone entry and exit for other robots’ awareness. Additional logic is added to establish priority for automatically resolving a deadlock condition, and for prioritizing completion of motion segments for a robot which is performing a continuous processing operation.