Systems and methods for detecting pose and force against an object are provided. A method includes receiving a signal from a deformable sensor comprising data from a deformation region in a deformable membrane resulting from contact with the object utilizing an internal sensor disposed within an enclosure and having a field of view directed through a medium and toward a bottom surface of the deformable membrane. The method also determines a pose of the object based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane. The method also determines an amount of force applied between the deformable membrane and the object is determined based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane.

Systems and methods are disclosed that utilize a robotic device supporting and moving a cutting tool in at least three degrees of freedom. A control system commands the robotic device to control or constrain movement of the cutting tool. A first tracker is coupled to the robotic device and a second tracker is coupled to an anatomy. The second tracker includes three markers that generate optical signals and a non-optical sensor that generates non-optical signals. A navigation system with an optical sensor is in communication with the control system. The navigation system receives, with the optical sensor, the optical signals from one or more of the three markers and receives the non-optical signals from the non-optical sensor. The navigation system communicates position data indicative of a position of the anatomy to the control system to control cutting of the anatomy based on the received optical and non-optical signals.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a surgical robot includes a robot arm having an end effector, the end effector comprising a needle assembly. The surgical robot further includes a robot control system operatively connected to the robot arm, and an end effector control system operatively connected to the end effector. The robot control system provides control signals for operation of the robot arm to move the end effector to selected positions relative to a subject. The end effector control system is configured to provide signals for operation of the end effector to at least one of inject material through the needle assembly to a selected location within the subject's body or extract material through the needle assembly from the selected location within the subject's body.

One or more computational strategies is used to reduce the complexity of handling detected point clusters appearing at a portal of a monitored workcell. If the other side of the portal is a second, adjacent workcell, the monitoring system for a first workcell predicts when a human in that workcell may pass through the portal to a second workcell and alerts the monitoring system for the second workcell. The prediction may be based on absolute proximity of a human to the portal or movement toward it. Other strategies are employed if the workcells overlap, or if the portal leads to an unmonitored space.

Surgical systems, navigation systems, and methods involving a robotic manipulator configured to control movement of an instrument to facilitate a surgical procedure. The navigation system includes a camera unit configured to optically track a pose of the instrument and a non-optical sensor coupled to the instrument. The navigation system includes a computing system coupled to the camera unit and being configured to obtain readings from the non-optical sensor. The computing system detects a condition whereby the camera unit is blocked from optically tracking the pose of the instrument. In response to detection of the condition, the computing system tracks the pose of the instrument with the readings from the non-optical sensor.

This application describes fixture having a body and a plurality of fiducials with at least one of the fiducials having a first state and a second state and able to move to one of the first state and the second state. The fiducials are arranged such that knowledge of the 3D positions of the fiducials in an observing coordinate system is sufficient to determine a first position and a first orientation of the body in the observing coordinate system.

An automated painting system that includes a robotic arm and a painting end effector coupled at a distal end of the robotic arm, with the painting end effector configured to apply paint to a target surface. The painting system can also include a computing device executing a computational planner that: generates instructions for driving the painting end effector and robotic arm to perform at least one painting task that includes applying paint, via the painting the end effector, to a plurality of drywall pieces, the generating based at least in part on obtained target surface data; and drives the end effector and robotic arm to perform the at least one painting task.

Crosstalk mitigation among cameras in neighboring monitored workcells is achieved by computationally defining a noninterference scheme that respects the independent monitoring and operation of each workcell. The scheme may involve communication between adjacent cells to adjudicate non-interfering camera operation or system-wide mapping of interference risks and mitigation thereof. Mitigation strategies can involve time-division and/or frequency-division multiplexing.

An automated painting system that includes a robotic arm and a painting end effector coupled at a distal end of the robotic arm, with the painting end effector configured to apply paint to a target surface. The painting system can also include a computing device executing a computational planner that: generates instructions for driving the painting end effector and robotic arm to perform at least one painting task that includes applying paint, via the painting the end effector, to a plurality of drywall pieces, the generating based at least in part on obtained target surface data; and drives the end effector and robotic arm to perform the at least one painting task.

Safety systems in distributed factory workcells intercommunicate or communicate with a central controller so that when a person, robot or vehicle passes from one workcell or space into another on the same factory floor, the new workcell or space need not repeat the tasks of analysis and classification and can instead immediately integrate the new entrant into the existing workcell or space-monitoring schema. The workcell or space can also communicate attributes such as occlusions, unsafe areas, movement speed, and object trajectories, enabling rapid reaction by the monitoring system of the new workcell or space.