Softbank Robotics Europe

Corning Incorporated

Armines

Nicolas Garcia

Lucas Souchet

Bruno Maisonnier

Vincent Clerc

Maxime Moreno

Sébastien Dalibard

Cyrille Collette

Christophe Michel Remy

Mathieu Nowakowski

Cyril Joly

Scarlett Fres

Fabien Moutarde

Jörg Ziegler

Vincent Chevry

Aldenis Garcia

Sebastien Dalibard

Jorg Ziegler

A mobile device that is able to locate itself in a topological map using a combination of visual and radio information is provided. The mobile device captures an image of its environment, detects receivable radio transmitters and builds an observation vector that defines visual words and radio words that are present at the current location of the mobile device. It then compares this observation vector to reference vectors corresponding to reference location and identifies, based on correlations between visual words and radio words, the location of the mobile device among reference locations.

Localization of a mobile device based on image and radio words

An obstacle detection device to be fitted to a mobile vehicle able to move parallel to a reference plane comprises: at least two emitters of electromagnetic beams which are able to form two virtual planes in two different directions that are able to intersect one another and intersect a potential obstacle, at least one image sensor able to produce an image of the intersection of the virtual planes and of the potential obstacle, an image analysis means able to determine the presence of an obstacle, configured to compare the image with a reference image. A detection method employing such a device is also provided.

Device for detecting an obstacle by means of intersecting planes and detection method using such a device

A method to compute a pixel map of probabilities of absence and presence of an obstacle in the environment of an autonomous robot comprising at least one sensor grouped in at least one set of sensors that detect obstacles of similar types and have its own sensor initial map of probability of absence of obstacles is provided. The method comprises the steps of initializing a map around the robot and attached to the robot with a predefined value of probability of absence or presence of an obstacle, acquiring data representative of the absence or presence of an obstacle around the robot from at least one sensing procedure, and concurrently updating values of probabilities using data from sensing procedure and modifying the probabilities of absence or presence of obstacle from previous observations to a value closer to a predefined value.

Method for building a map of probability of one of absence and presence of obstacles for an autonomous robot

A humanoid robot which can move on its lower limb to execute a trajectory and is capable of detecting intrusion of obstacles in a safety zone defined around its body as a function of its speed is provided. Preferably when the robot executes a predefined trajectory, for instance a part of a choreography, the robot which avoids collision with an obstacle will rejoin its original trajectory after avoidance of the obstacle. Rejoining trajectory and speed of the robot are adapted so that it is resynchronized with the initial trajectory. Advantageously, the speed of the joints of the upper members of the robot is adapted in case the distance with an obstacle decreases below a preset minimum. Also, the joints are stopped in case a collision of the upper members with the obstacle is predicted.

Humanoid robot with collision avoidance and trajectory recovery capabilities

A wall-flow honeycomb filter comprising a ceramic monolith having a plurality of porous walls formed therein. The plurality of porous walls define a plurality of inlet cells and a plurality of outlet cells extending between an inlet end face and an outlet end face of the monolith. The inlet cells are open at the inlet end face and plugged at or near the outlet end face. The outlet cells are open at the outlet end face and plugged at or near the inlet end face. The monolith has a ratio of a combined cross-sectional area of the inlet cells to a combined cross-sectional area of the outlet cells greater than 1. The monolith has at least one inlet cell cluster which contains an N&#xd7;M group of inlet cells, N and M being integers greater than 1, each inlet cell cluster consisting of a plurality of inlet cells separated by inlet cluster walls.

Wall-flow honeycomb filter having high storage capacity and low backpressure

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Paris, France

Nicolas Garcia