A system for inspecting, cleaning, and/or repairing one or more blades attached to a rotor of a gas turbine engine. The system includes a track disposed adjacent to the rotor, a mechanical arm moveable along the track, a number of tools attachable to the mechanical arm, and a controller configured to control a position of at least one of the tools that is attached to the mechanical arm about the one or more blades.

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.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer-readable storage devices, for robot navigation using 2D and 3D path planning. In the disclosed method, a robot accesses map data indicating two-dimensional layout of objects in a space and evaluates candidate paths for the robot to traverse. In response to determining that the candidate paths do not include a collision-free path across the space for a two-dimensional profile of the robot, the robot evaluates a three-dimensional shape of the robot with respect to a three-dimensional shape of an object in the space. Based on the evaluation of the three-dimensional shapes, the robot determines a collision-free path to traverse through the space.

A method and system for picking articles from a collection of articles and arranging articles into placement locations, includes capturing an image with a first vision system from a collection of articles at a first pick location and determining coordinate data for at least some of the articles in the collection of articles. The coordinate data for an article in the collection of articles is provided to a first robotic manipulator. That article is picked from the collection of articles with the first robotic manipulator according to the coordinate data for that article and that article placed at a first place location. The position and orientation data of that article are obtained at a second pick location and provided along with a desired position and orientation of that article at a second place location to a second robotic manipulator. That article is picked with the second robotic manipulator using the position and orientation data of that article at the second pick location and that article is placed at the second place location at the desired position and orientation.

A method for applying disinfectant to the teats of a dairy livestock comprises moving a robotic arm along a track in relation to a rotary milking platform housing a dairy livestock and independent of any physical coupling between the robotic arm and the rotary milking platform. The rotary milking platform has a substantially circular perimeter. The track is positioned outside the perimeter of the rotary milking platform. At least a portion of the track is straight and offset in relation to the rotary milking platform. The robotic arm comprises an arm member operable to pivot about an axis that is parallel to the track, and a spray tool attached to one end of the arm member. The method further comprises extending the robotic arm between the hind legs of the dairy livestock while the rotary milking platform rotates such that the spray tool is located at a spray position from which it may discharge disinfectant to the teats of the dairy livestock.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer-readable storage devices, for robot navigation using 2D and 3D path planning. In the disclosed method, a robot accesses map data indicating two-dimensional layout of objects in a space and evaluates candidate paths for the robot to traverse. In response to determining that the candidate paths do not include a collision-free path across the space for a two-dimensional profile of the robot, the robot evaluates a three-dimensional shape of the robot with respect to a three-dimensional shape of an object in the space. Based on the evaluation of the three-dimensional shapes, the robot determines a collision-free path to traverse through the space.

A system for inspecting, cleaning, and/or repairing one or more blades attached to a rotor of a gas turbine engine. The system includes a track disposed adjacent to the rotor, a mechanical arm moveable along the track, a number of tools attachable to the mechanical arm, and a controller configured to control a position of at least one of the tools that is attached to the mechanical arm about the one or more blades.

A portable server assembly system includes a container structure configured to be transported between data center locations, such as a shipping container. The portable server assembly system also includes a plurality of robots that are stowed in the container when being transported between data center locations, and that assemble servers when deployed at a particular data center location. In some embodiments, when a first data center location is substantially populated with servers assembled by the portable server assembly system (or another system), the portable server assembly system is re-deployed to another data center for use in assembling servers for populating the other data center.

A method and system for picking articles from a collection of articles and arranging articles into placement locations, includes capturing an image with a first vision system from a collection of articles at a first pick location and determining coordinate data for at least some of the articles in the collection of articles. The coordinate data for an article in the collection of articles is provided to a first robotic manipulator. That article is picked from the collection of articles with the first robotic manipulator according to the coordinate data for that article and that article placed at a first place location. The position and orientation data of that article are obtained at a second pick location and provided along with a desired position and orientation of that article at a second place location to a second robotic manipulator. That article is picked with the second robotic manipulator using the position and orientation data of that article at the second pick location and that article is placed at the second place location at the desired position and orientation.