Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC

Humatics Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

David J Bruemmer

Douglas A Few

Miles C Walton

Curtis W Nielsen

Matthew O Anderson

Josh Senna

Akshay Kumar Jain

Mark D McKay

Robert A Kinoshita

David I Gertman

J Alan Atherton

Jonathan Whetten

Derek C Wadsworth

Jodie R Boyce

Robert S Hartley

David Rohr

Ryan C Hruska

John A Koudelka

Jonathon Whetten

Mobile localization of an object having an object positional frame of reference using sparse time-of-flight data and dead reckoning can be accomplished by creating a dead reckoning local frame of reference, including an estimation of object position with respect to known locations from one or more Ultra Wide Band transceivers. As the object moves along its path, a determination is made using the dead-reckoning local frame of reference. When the object is within a predetermine range of one or more of the Ultra Wide Band transceivers, a 'conversation' is initiated, and range data between the object and the UWB transceiver(s) is collected. Using multiple conversations to establish accurate range and bearing information, the system updates the object's position based on the collected data.

Mobile localization using sparse time-of-flight ranges and dead reckoning

A system for interaction with a the environment includes an initial manipulation module operable to orient a device in a general direction of a surface of an object and a range control module operable to converge the device and the surface. Once the device and surface are in the proximity of each other a contact sensor detects when physical contact between the surface and the device occurs. Thereafter, a proprioception module measures normal force disparities between the surface and device motion actuators and finally, an exteroception module to measure translational resistance disparities between relative motion of the surface and the device. The system uses these disparity measurements and actuator positions to modify the manipulation of the device.

Modular robotic manipulation

A unified collaboration environment is formed by establishing a local workspace positional frame of reference using a plurality of UWB transceivers. With a frame of reference established a communication link is established between each of the workspaces, and a collaboration module to establish a peer-to-peer network. Data is received from each of the workspaces including the local workspace frame of reference, the set of available assets and workspace behavior (tasks). The collaboration module crafts a unified collaboration environment by transforming the local workspace into a collaborative positional frame of reference. A user, through a user interface, can offer real-time input to a virtualized version of the workspace to augment actions within the workspace environment.

Unified collaborative environments

Systems and methods relating to an augmented virtuality system are disclosed. A method of operating an augmented virtuality system may comprise displaying imagery of a real-world environment in an operating picture. The method may further include displaying a plurality of virtual icons in the operating picture representing at least some assets of a plurality of assets positioned in the real-world environment. Additionally, the method may include displaying at least one virtual item in the operating picture representing data sensed by one or more of the assets of the plurality of assets and remotely controlling at least one asset of the plurality of assets by interacting with a virtual icon associated with the at least one asset.

Methods and systems relating to an augmented virtuality environment

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.

Robots, systems, and methods for hazard evaluation and visualization

Systems, methods, and user interfaces are used for controlling a robot. An environment map and a robot designator are presented to a user. The user may place, move, and modify task designators on the environment map. The task designators indicate a position in the environment map and indicate a task for the robot to achieve. A control intermediary links task designators with robot instructions issued to the robot. The control intermediary analyzes a relative position between the task designators and the robot. The control intermediary uses the analysis to determine a task-oriented autonomy level for the robot and communicates target achievement information to the robot. The target achievement information may include instructions for directly guiding the robot if the task-oriented autonomy level indicates low robot initiative and may include instructions for directing the robot to determine a robot plan for achieving the task if the task-oriented autonomy level indicates high robot initiative.

System and method for seamless task-directed autonomy for robots

Methods and systems for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface include at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of a respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes a multi-robot common window comprised of information received from each of the plurality of robots.

Multi-robot control interface

A virtual track or rail system and method is described for execution by a robot. A user, through a user interface, generates a desired path comprised of at least one segment representative of the virtual track for the robot. Start and end points are assigned to the desired path and velocities are also associated with each of the at least one segment of the desired path. A waypoint file is generated including positions along the virtual track representing the desired path with the positions beginning from the start point to the end point including the velocities of each of the at least one segment. The waypoint file is sent to the robot for traversing along the virtual track.

Robotics virtual rail system and method

The present invention provides methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for a generic robot architecture providing a framework that is easily portable to a variety of robot platforms and is configured to provide hardware abstractions, abstractions for generic robot attributes, environment abstractions, and robot behaviors. The generic robot architecture includes a hardware abstraction level and a robot abstraction level. The hardware abstraction level is configured for developing hardware abstractions that define, monitor, and control hardware modules available on a robot platform. The robot abstraction level is configured for defining robot attributes and provides a software framework for building robot behaviors from the robot attributes. Each of the robot attributes includes hardware information from at least one hardware abstraction. In addition, each robot attribute is configured to substantially isolate the robot behaviors from the at least one hardware abstraction.

Generic robot architecture

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller. The system controller executes instructions for repeating, on each iteration through an event timing loop, the acts of defining an event horizon, detecting a range to obstacles around the robot, and testing for an event horizon intrusion. Defining the event horizon includes determining a distance from the robot that is proportional to a current velocity of the robot and testing for the event horizon intrusion includes determining if any range to the obstacles is within the event horizon. Finally, on each iteration through the event timing loop, the method includes reducing the current velocity of the robot in proportion to a loop period of the event timing loop if the event horizon intrusion occurs.

Robotic guarded motion system and method

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller. The system controller executes a robot intelligence kernel (RIK) that includes a multi-level architecture and a dynamic autonomy structure. The multi-level architecture includes a robot behavior level for defining robot behaviors, that incorporate robot attributes and a cognitive level for defining conduct modules that blend an adaptive interaction between predefined decision functions and the robot behaviors. The dynamic autonomy structure is configured for modifying a transaction capacity between an operator intervention and a robot initiative and may include multiple levels with at least a teleoperation mode configured to maximize the operator intervention and minimize the robot initiative and an autonomous mode configured to minimize the operator intervention and maximize the robot initiative. Within the RIK at least the cognitive level includes the dynamic autonomy structure.

Robotic intelligence kernel

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller, which executes instructions for autonomously navigating a robot. The instructions repeat, on each iteration through an event timing loop, the acts of defining an event horizon based on the robot's current velocity, detecting a range to obstacles around the robot, testing for an event horizon intrusion by determining if any range to the obstacles is within the event horizon, and adjusting rotational and translational velocity of the robot accordingly. If the event horizon intrusion occurs, rotational velocity is modified by a proportion of the current rotational velocity reduced by a proportion of the range to the nearest obstacle and translational velocity is modified by a proportion of the range to the nearest obstacle. If no event horizon intrusion occurs, translational velocity is set as a ratio of a speed factor relative to a maximum speed.

Autonomous navigation system and method

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller. The system controller executes instructions for producing an occupancy grid map of an environment around the robot, scanning the environment to generate a current obstacle map relative to a current robot position, and converting the current obstacle map to a current occupancy grid map. The instructions also include processing each grid cell in the occupancy grid map. Within the processing of each grid cell, the instructions include comparing each grid cell in the occupancy grid map to a corresponding grid cell in the current occupancy grid map. For grid cells with a difference, the instructions include defining a change vector for each changed grid cell, wherein the change vector includes a direction from the robot to the changed grid cell and a range from the robot to the changed grid cell.

Occupancy change detection system and method

Robot platforms, methods, and computer media are disclosed. The robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller, which executes instructions for a robot to follow a target in its environment. The method includes receiving a target bearing and sensing whether the robot is blocked front. If the robot is blocked in front, then the robot's motion is adjusted to avoid the nearest obstacle in front. If the robot is not blocked in front, then the method senses whether the robot is blocked toward the target bearing and if so, sets the rotational direction opposite from the target bearing, and adjusts the rotational velocity and translational velocity. If the robot is not blocked toward the target bearing, then the rotational velocity is adjusted proportional to an angle of the target bearing and the translational velocity is adjusted proportional to a distance to the nearest obstacle in front.

Growing community of inventors

Idaho Falls, ID, United States of America

David J Bruemmer