Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Google Inc.

Carnegie Mellon University

Boston Dymanics, Inc.

Michael Patrick Murphy

John Aaron Saunders

Steven Dickinson Potter

Christopher Everett Thorne

Metin Sitti

Burak Aksak

Marc D Strauss

Aaron Abroff

Alex Yu Khripin

Benjamin Zelnick

Alfred Anthony Rizzi

John Giarratana

Matthew David Malchano

Robert Playter

Chris Aaron Richburg

Marc Patrick Strauss

Donald Campbell

Christian Allen Weagle

Robotic device

Dry adhesives and methods for forming dry adhesives. A method of forming a dry adhesive structure on a backing material, comprises: forming a template backing layer of energy sensitive material on the backing material; forming a template layer of energy sensitive material on the template backing layer; exposing the template layer to a predetermined pattern of energy; removing a portion of the template layer related to the predetermined pattern of energy, and leaving a template structure formed from energy sensitive material and connected to the substrate via the template backing layer.

Dry adhesives and methods for making dry adhesives

An actuation pressure to actuate one or more hydraulic actuators may be determined based on a load on the one or more hydraulic actuators of a robotic device. Based on the determined actuation pressure, a pressure rail from among a set of pressure rails at respective pressures may be selected. One or more valves may connect the selected pressure rail to a metering valve. The hydraulic drive system may operate in a discrete mode in which the metering valve opens such that hydraulic fluid flows from the selected pressure rail through the metering valve to the one or more hydraulic actuators at approximately the supply pressure. Responsive to a control state of the robotic device, the hydraulic drive system may operate in a continuous mode in which the metering valve throttles the hydraulic fluid such that the supply pressure is reduced to the determined actuation pressure.

Discretized valve state control for multi-level hydraulic systems

The present disclosure provides a brace system including an upper portion and a lower portion. The brace system may also include a first pulley rotatably coupling the upper portion to a first intermediate link positioned between the upper portion and the lower portion. The brace system may also include a second pulley rotatably coupling the first intermediate link to a second intermediate link positioned between the upper portion and the lower portion. The brace system may also include a third pulley rotatably coupling the second intermediate link to the lower portion. Further, the brace system may include at least one tension-bearing element substantially encircling each of the first pulley, the second pulley, and the third pulley.

Brace system

A robotic device may traverse a path in a direction of locomotion. Sensor data indicative of one or more physical features of the environment in the direction of locomotion may be received. The implementation may further involve determining that traversing the path involves traversing the one or more physical features of the environment. Based on the sensor data indicative of the one or more physical features of the environment in the direction of locomotion, a hydraulic pressure to supply to the one or more hydraulic actuators to traverse the one or more physical features of the environment may be predicted. Before traversing the one or more physical features of the environment, the hydraulic drive system may adjust pressure of supplied hydraulic fluid from the first pressure to the predicted hydraulic pressure.

Predictively adjustable hydraulic pressure rails

Example implementations may relate a robot part including a processor, at least one sensor, and an interface providing wireless connectivity. The processor may determine that the robot part is removablly connected to a particular robotic system and may responsively obtain identification information to identify the particular robotic system. While the robot part is removablly connected to the particular robotic system, the processor may (i) transmit, to an external computing system, sensor data that the processor received from the at least one sensor and (ii) receive, from the external computing system, environment information (e.g., representing characteristics of an environment in which the particular robotic system is operating) based on interpretation of the sensor data. And based on the identification information and the environment information, the processor may generate a command that causes the particular robotic system to carry out a task in the environment.

Smart robot part

An ER fluid valve includes a housing and a plurality of parallel flow passages through the housing each defined by spaced electrodes at least one of which is controllable independently of other flow passages electrodes. A controller is configured to selectively establish electrical fields for all of the independently controllable electrodes to close all of the flow passages to ER fluid flowing through the housing. By removing the fields from all of the independently controllable electrodes, all the flow passages are open to the ER fluid flowing through the housing. By establishing fields for select independently controllable electrodes to close their associated flow passages and by leaving other flow passages open, restricted flow of the ER fluid through the housing is accomplished to vary the flow rate through the housing.

Electrorheological valve

Methods of forming dry adhesives including a method of making a dry adhesive including applying a liquid polymer to the second end of the stem, molding the liquid polymer on the stem in a mold, wherein the mold includes a recess having a cross-sectional area that is less than a cross-sectional area of the second end of the stem, curing the liquid polymer in the mold to form a tip at the second end of the stem, wherein the tip includes a second layer stem; corresponding to the recess in the mold, and removing the tip from the mold after the liquid polymer cures.

Methods of forming dry adhesive structures

Examples described here include a device that has a housing defining a cavity, and a force sensor. The device also includes a first hydraulic actuator positioned in the cavity, and a second hydraulic actuator positioned in the cavity. The first and second hydraulic actuators move between respectively relaxing modes and thrusting modes along respective longitudinal axes. The longitudinal axis of the first hydraulic actuator is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second hydraulic actuator. The device also includes a first actuated member coupled to the first hydraulic actuator, and a second actuated member coupled to the second hydraulic actuator.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Michael Patrick Murphy