Amazon Technologies, Inc.

David William Guerin

Dragan Pajevic

Peter Thomas Colantonio

Kevin John Trenholme

Jude R Jonas

Stephen T Campbell

Parris S Wellman

Peter K Mansfield

Robert Michael Shydo, Jr

Oliver Christoph Purwin

Mark Anthony Messina

A mobile drive unit includes a pivot between the front chassis unit and the rear chassis unit, which both support a support structure that pivotally supports a payload housing. The mobile drive unit can have a sensor and control system.

Mobile drive unit having a conveyor module

A mobile drive unit includes a pivot between the front chassis unit and the rear chassis unit, which both support a support structure that pivotally supports a payload housing.

Systems and methods for determining item manipulation strategies using magnetic manipulation are described herein. For example, item information describing properties of an item may be accessed. The item information may indicate that the item includes a magnetic patch. Using this item information, a manipulation strategy for manipulating the item may be determined. The manipulation strategy may include a strategy for manipulating the item using one or more end effectors of a robotic manipulator. The manipulation strategy may be provided to the robotic manipulator for manipulation of the item by magnetically coupling an end effector of the one or more end effectors with the magnetic patch connected to the item.

Robotic item manipulation using magnetic coupling

An inventory system includes an inventory holder and an actively balanced mobile drive unit. A control module of the mobile drive unit can receive sensing information about the inventory holder and/or the mobile drive unit and use the sensing information to control a drive module of the mobile drive unit so as to maintain the inventory holder and/or the mobile drive unit within a predetermined deviation amount from an equilibrium state.

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Boylston, MA, United States of America

David William Guerin