Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Eric C Baker

Derrick Ian Cobb

Richard Wolfgang Geary

David Bryan Betz

A support robot and control system for timely and efficiently providing at least one of a tool, a part, a component, an electrical supply, and an air supply within an assembly line operation. The support robot and system may include a detection unit for detecting user and a motion planning unit for controlling the motion of the robot based on data received from the detection unit. The support robot may further include an input unit for receiving input from a user. The system may estimate work progress of a user via a work progress estimation unit. The work progress estimation unit may determine work production based on at least an output from the detection unit and information obtained from a work progress database. The system may further include a robot location adjustment unit. The robot location adjustment unit may adjust the location of the robot based on information received from the motion planning unit. Further, the support robot may include a moveable tray, wherein the movable tray is adjusted based on instructions received from the work progress estimation unit.

Support robot and methods of use thereof

A robotic system includes a robotic arm assembly and a guard assembly. The robotic arm assembly includes a robotic arm and an end effector that is coupled to the robotic arm and selectively couples to a moveable object. The guard assembly is selectively moveable between an open configuration and a closed configuration, and includes a plurality of guard petals that selectively move between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration. Each guard petal includes a flexible support structure and a fluid bladder coupled to the flexible support structure. The fluid bladder is selectively filled with a fluid to change the fluid bladder between a relaxed configuration and an expanded configuration. The fluid bladder is configured to wrap the flexible support structure around at least a portion of the moveable object when the guard petal is in the extended configuration and the fluid bladder is in the expanded configuration.

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Saint Marys, OH, United States of America

Eric C Baker