Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Google Inc.

Other

Foster-miller, Inc.

Steven Dickinson Potter

John Aaron Saunders

Michael Patrick Murphy

Christopher Everett Thorne

Zachary John Jackowski

Adam Young

Kevin Blankespoor

Alex Yu Khripin

Brian Todd Dellon

Shervin Talebinejad

Michael Murphy

Vadim Chernyak

Devin Billings

A rotary valve subassembly includes a spool and a sleeve. The spool is positioned within the sleeve and rotatable relative to the sleeve. Rotating the spool relative to the sleeve can align a scalloped recess formed into an outer side surface of the spool with an inner circumferential recess formed into an inner side surface of the sleeve to fluidly-connect a pressurized fluid source and a low pressure fluid reservoir with a hydraulic actuator.

Rotary valve assembly

The invention includes systems and methods for fabrication and use of an assembly for a component of a robot. The assembly includes a first member including a set of electrically conductive annular surfaces, and a second member including a set of electrically conductive components configured to contact the set of electrically conductive annular surfaces. The first member and the second member are included within the component of the robot. Each component in the set of electrically conductive components includes a first convex curvilinear portion configured to contact a corresponding annular surface in the set of electrically conductive annular surfaces.

Electrical transfer assemblies for robotic devices

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

A robot leg assembly including a hip joint and an upper leg member. A proximal end portion of the upper leg member rotatably coupled to the hip joint. The robot leg assembly including a knee joint rotatably coupled to a distal end portion of the upper leg member, a lower leg member rotatably coupled to the knee joint, a linear actuator disposed on the upper leg member and defining a motion axis, and a motor coupled to the linear actuator and a linkage coupled to the translation stage and to the lower leg member. The linear actuator includes a translation stage moveable along the motion axis to translate rotational motion of the motor to linear motion of the translation stage along the motion axis, which moves the linkage to rotate the lower leg member relative to the upper leg member at the knee joint.

Screw actuator for a legged robot

The present disclosure provides: at least one component of a rotary valve subassembly; a rotary valve assembly including the rotary valve subassembly; a hydraulic circuit including the rotary valve assembly; an assembly including a robot that incorporates the hydraulic circuit; and a method of operating the rotary valve assembly. The at least one component of the rotary valve subassembly includes a spool. The at least one component of the rotary valve subassembly includes a sleeve.

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

An example robot includes: a leg having an upper leg member and a lower leg member coupled to the upper leg member at a knee joint; a screw actuator disposed within the upper leg member, where the screw actuator has a screw shaft and a nut mounted coaxial to the screw shaft such that the screw shaft is rotatable within the nut; a motor mounted at an upper portion of the upper leg member and coupled to the screw shaft; a carrier coupled and mounted coaxial to the nut such that the nut is disposed at a proximal end of the carrier; and a linkage coupled to the carrier, where the linkage is coupled to the lower leg member at the knee joint.

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

A tracked skate runner provides a low-profile substitute for a wheel with exceptionally low rolling resistance on rough or soft terrain. The runner includes a skate frame and rollers that bear against an endless track of hinged links devoid of pinch points that can get jammed with ground debris. The skate frame provides a channel with sidewalls and a top dirt shield. The sidewalls fit closely with the links of the track to seal out dirt, and the top dirt shield protects the rollers from dirt that shakes off the top recirculating portion of the track.

Tracked skate runner

An example valve includes a sleeve having a plurality of openings. A spool is rotatable within the sleeve and includes a respective plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of openings of the sleeve. A rotary actuator coupled to the spool is configured for rotating the spool within the sleeve to one of at least eight rotary positions. The rotary actuator can rotate the spool to a given rotary position in a clockwise or a counter-clockwise direction to cause at least a partial alignment between a subset of the respective plurality of openings of the spool and a subset of the plurality of openings of the sleeve.

Rotary hydraulic valve

A robot includes an inverted pendulum body having first and second end portions, a counter-balance body disposed on the inverted pendulum body and configured to move relative to the inverted pendulum body, at least one leg having first and second ends, and a drive wheel rotatably coupled to the second end of the at least one leg. The first end of the at least one leg is prismatically coupled to the second end portion of the inverted pendulum body.

Mobile robot

A method of operating a robot includes driving a robot to approach a reach point, extending a manipulator arm forward of the reach point, and maintaining a drive wheel and a center of mass of the robot rearward of the reach point by moving a counter-balance body relative to an inverted pendulum body while extending the manipulator arm forward of the reach point. The robot includes the inverted pendulum body, the counter-balance body deposed on the inverted pendulum body, the manipulator arm connected to the inverted pendulum body, at least one leg having a first end prismatically coupled to the inverted pendulum body, and the drive wheel rotatably coupled to a second end of the at least one leg.

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, MA, United States of America

Steven Dickinson Potter