Built Robotics Inc.

Gaurav Jitendra Kikani

Noah Austen Ready-Campbell

Andrew Xiao Liang

Joonhyun Kim

Ammar Idris Kothari

James Alan Emerick

Christian John Wawrzonek

Sarah Marie Thornton

Pradeesh Suganthan

Lucas Allen Bruder

Cyrus McMann Ready-Campbell

Thomas Pech

Edward Joseph Garza

Alan Argondizza

Hee Gu Yea

Evan West

Elizabeth Maitland Murdoch

Edward Jiachang Cai

An autonomous off-road vehicle (AOV) accesses a pile plan map indicating a plurality of locations within a geographic area at which piles are to be installed. The AOV generates an obstacle map indicating locations of obstacles within the geographic area. The AOV autonomously navigates to a first location of the plurality of locations using the pile plan map. In response to driving a pile into the ground at the first location, the AOV modifies the obstacle map to include a representation of the pile at the first location. The AOV autonomously navigates to a second location of the plurality of locations using the pile plan map. In response to driving a pile into ground at the second location, the AOV modifies the obstacle map that includes the representation of the pile at the first location to further include a representation of the pile at the second location.

Obstacle map for autonomous pile driving system

An earth moving vehicle (EMV) autonomously performs an earth moving operation within a dig site. If the EMV determines that a state of the EMV or the dig site triggers a triggering condition associated with a pause in the autonomous behavior of the EMV, the EMV determines a risk associated with the state or triggering condition. If the risk is greater than a first threshold, the EMV continues the autonomous performance and notifies a remote operator that the triggering condition was triggered. If the risk is greater than the first threshold risk but less than a second threshold risk, the EMV is configured to operate in a default state before continuing and notifying the remote operator. If the risk is greater than the second threshold risk, the EMV notifies the remote operator of the state pauses the performance until feedback is received from the remote operator.

Autonomous operation by earth-moving vehicle based on triggering conditions

An autonomous off-road vehicle (AOV) includes a vehicle body, and a first platform and second platform configured to carry one or more piles for transport by the AOV. The first platform and second platform are coupled to opposite sides of the vehicle body. A base of each of the first platform and the second platform is angled upwards and away from the vehicle body. The AOV further includes a vehicle tool coupled to the vehicle body and configured to pick up a pile carried by the first platform or the second platform and drive the pile into ground.

Pile platforms for autonomous pile driver vehicle

A autonomous off-road vehicle (AOV) accesses a pile plan map indicating a plurality of locations in a geographic area at which piles are to be installed. The AOV selects a first location and a second location from the plurality of locations using the pile plan map. The AOV autonomously navigates to the first location. The AOV autonomously loads a first pile onto a driving tool of the AOV. The AOV autonomously drives the first pile into the ground at the first location using the driving tool. The AOV autonomously navigates to the second location. the AOV autonomously loads a second pile onto the driving tool. And the AOV autonomously drives the second pile into the ground at the second location using the driving tool.

Autonomous pile driver apparatus and method

A pile plan map indicating a plurality of locations in a geographic area at which piles are to be installed is accessed. A first set of locations is identified from the plurality of locations and a first set of piles to be driven into the ground at the first set of locations using the pile plan map is identified. An order for driving the first set of piles into the ground is identified and a pile type for each of the first set of piles is identified. Basket assembly instructions are generated for assembling the first set of piles into a basket based on the identified order and the identified pile types. The first set of piles are assembled autonomously or manually into the basket based on the generated basket assembly instructions.

Basket assembly operation for autonomous pile driving system

An autonomous off-road vehicle (AOV) autonomously performs a pile driving operation by driving a pile into the ground at a location identified by a pile plan map. The AOV detects one or more attributes of the pile using one or more sensors during or after the pile driving operation. The AOV determines whether the one or more attributes of the pile exceed respective tolerance thresholds. The AOV performs a quality control action in response to determining that the one or more attributes of the pile exceed the respective tolerance thresholds. The one or more attributes include one or more of a location and an orientation of the pile, and the quality control action is performed in response to determining that the location or the orientation of the pile exceeds the respective tolerance threshold.

Quality control operation for autonomous pile driving system

An autonomous off-road vehicle (AOV) includes a vehicle body and a vehicle arm coupled to the vehicle body and including a set of prongs and a clamp extending outward from an end of the vehicle arm. A controller causes the vehicle arm to pick up a pile by: aligning the set of prongs with an end of the pile such that a first prong aligns with an opening on a first side of a web of the pile and a second prong aligns with a space on a second side of the web, inserting the set of prongs into the opening on the first side and the space on the second side, and compressing the clamp into an exterior surface of a flange of the pile such that the set of prongs are reciprocally compressed into an interior surface of the flange on either side of the web.

Pile manipulation tool for autonomous pile driver vehicle

In some implementations, the EMV uses a calibration to inform autonomous control over the EMV. To calibrate an EMV, the system first selects a calibration action comprising a control signal for actuating a control surface of the EMV. Then, using a calibration model comprising a machine learning model trained based on one or more previous calibration actions taken by the EMV, the system predicts a response of the control surface to the control signal of the calibration action. After the EMV executes the control signal to perform the calibration action, the EMV system monitors the actual response of the control signal and uses that to update the calibration model based on a comparison between the predicted and monitored states of the control surface.

Online machine learning for calibration of autonomous earth moving vehicles

An autonomous earth moving system can determine a desired state for a portion of the EMV including at least one control surface. Then the EMV selects a set of control signals for moving the portion of the EMV from the current state to the desired state using a machine learning model trained to generate control signals for moving the portion of the EMV to the desired state based on the current state. After the EMV executes the selected set of control signals, the system measures an updated state of the portion of the EMV. In some cases, this updated state of the EMV is used to iteratively update the machine learning model using an online learning process.

Online machine learning for autonomous earth moving vehicle control

An excavation vehicle capable of autonomously actuating an excavation tool or navigating an excavation vehicle to perform an excavation routine within an excavation site is described herein. Sensors mounted to the excavation vehicle and the excavation tool produce signals representative of a position and orientation of the corresponding joint relative on the excavation vehicle relative to the excavation site, a position and orientation of the excavation vehicle relative to the excavation site, and one or more features of the excavation site based on the position of the excavation vehicle within the excavation site. A set of solenoids are configured to couple to corresponding hydraulic valves of the excavation tool to actuate the valve. A controller produces actuating signals to control the joints of the excavation tool to autonomously perform the excavation routine based on the signals produced by the sensors.

Sensor retrofit to autonomously actuate an excavation vehicle

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable of navigating through a dig site and carrying an excavation routine using a system of sensors physically mounted to the excavation vehicle. The sensors collect one or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data representing the status of the excavation vehicle and its surrounding environment. Based on the collected data, the excavation vehicle executes instructions to perform an excavation routine by excavating earth from a hole using an excavation tool positioned at a single location within the site. The excavation vehicle is also able to carry out numerous other tasks, such as checking the volume of excavated earth in an excavation tool, navigating the excavation vehicle over a distance while continuously excavating earth from a below surface depth, and preparing a digital terrain model of the site as part of a process for creating the excavation routine.

Excavating earth from a dig site using an excavation vehicle

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable determining a route between a start point and an end point in a site and navigating over the route. The sensors collect any or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data to detect an obstacle between two locations within the site. Based on the collected data and identified obstacles, the excavation vehicle generates unobstructed routes circumventing the obstacles, obstructed routes traveling through the obstacles, and instructions for removing certain modifiable obstacles. The excavation vehicle determines and selects the shortest route of the unobstructed and obstructed route and navigates over the selected path to move within the site.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Gaurav Jitendra Kikani