Did You Know...
...that Robert Adler has the dubious distinction of being the Father of the Couch Potato? Back in 1955 Adler was employed by what was then Zenith Radio Corp., where he was charged to invent something that would allow viewers to turn down the TV volume without leaving their chairs. After a series of flops (such as a wired contraption that people tripped over), Adler hit on the idea of using sound waves. Thus the Remote Control was born...
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8185241 | Tracked robotic crawler having a moveable arm A tracked robotic crawler capable of multiple movement moves is disclosed. In one embodiment, the tracked robotic crawler includes at least one frame unit, the frame unit having a continuous track rotatably coupled thereto. Disposed on the at least one frame unit is... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8155789 | Device, method, program and recording medium for robot offline programming An offline programming device for preparing an operation program for making a robot with a hand perform a handling operation for an object with respect to a machine tool. The device includes a hand-position designating section designating a relative positional relat... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8145354 | Systems and methods for controlling a legged robot using a two-phase disturbance response strategy Systems and methods are presented that enable a legged robot to maintain its balance when subjected to an unexpected force. In the reflex phase, the robot withstands the immediate effect of the force by yielding to it. In one embodiment, during the reflex phase, the... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8112177 | Wafer position teaching method and teaching tool In the wafer position teaching method for a wafer carrying system, a teaching tool is mounted at a position of the container or the processing equipment where the semiconductor wafer is to be set. The teaching tool is sensed by a sensor provided at a wafer gripping ... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8108072 | Methods and systems for robotic instrument tool tracking with adaptive fusion of kinematics information and image information In one embodiment of the invention, a method for a robotic system is disclosed to track one or more robotic instruments. The method includes generating kinematics information for the robotic instrument within a field of view of a camera; capturing image information ... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8065037 | Control method and system for hydraulic machines employing a dynamic joint motion model A control method and system for controlling a hydraulically actuated mechanical arm to perform a task, the mechanical arm optionally being a hydraulically actuated excavator arm. The method can include determining a dynamic model of the motion of the hydraulic arm f... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8060253 | Systems and methods for controlling a legged robot based on rate of change of angular momentum Systems and methods are presented that use the rate of change of a legged robot's centroidal angular momentum ({dot over (H)}G) in order to maintain or improve the robot's balance. In one embodiment, a control system determines the current value of {dot o... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8050799 | Method for determination of spraying parameters for controlling a painting appliance which uses spraying means A method for determining of spraying parameters for controlling a painting appliance which sprays and is moved over an area to be painted, in particular a robot with a painting application. A known spraying map is produced, using known spraying parameters and paint ... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8019473 | Manipulator and method of controlling manipulator A manipulator includes: a drive section which electrically drives a joint; an instruction input section which executes instruction input; a control section which generates a driving signal in response to the instruction input; a sensor which detects an operation sta... | 09/13/2011 |
| 7904207 | Method of evaluating and correcting robot program and device for evaluating and correcting robot program There is provided a device for evaluating and correcting a robot operation program for evaluating an appropriateness for the robot operation program and correcting the robot operation program, comprising a computer including a simulation function for confirming a ro... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7904206 | Method and apparatus for removably holding medical device An apparatus for holding a medical device has an arm unit equipped with, for example, a polyarticular arm, which holds the medical device such as endoscope movably in the space. Additionally to a determination unit and a controller, the holding apparatus has an oper... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7873436 | Gait generator for mobile robot When the placement of the elements (mass points, links having inertia, etc.) of a model expressing a robot 1 is determined according to a first geometric restrictive condition from an instantaneous desired motion of the robot 1 that has been created us... | 01/18/2011 |
| 7853357 | Robot behavior control based on current and predictive internal, external condition and states with levels of activations In a robot device, an action selecting/control system includes a plurality of elementary action modules each of which outputs an action when selected. An activation level calculation unit calculates an activation level AL of each elementary action on the basis of in... | 12/14/2010 |
| 7835822 | Systems and methods for controlling a legged robot using a two-phase disturbance response strategy Systems and methods are presented that enable a legged robot to maintain its balance when subjected to an unexpected force. In the reflex phase, the robot withstands the immediate effect of the force by yielding to it. In one embodiment, during the reflex phase, the... | 11/16/2010 |
| 7765029 | Hybrid control device A brain-based device (BBD) for moving in a real-world environment has sensors that provide data about the environment, actuators to move the BBD, and a hybrid controller which includes a neural controller having a simulated nervous system being a model of selected a... | 07/27/2010 |
| 7751938 | Robot arm control device and control method, robot, and control program There is provided a control device for a robot arm which includes an operation procedure information acquisition means for acquiring information on the procedure of a domestic operation, a progress management means for managing information on the progress of the ope... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7742839 | Robot system provided with robot controller A robot controller capable of automatically preparing a job program for a workpiece configured of a plurality of job elements is disclosed. A plurality of teaching programs for teaching the job for each job element making up the workpiece are stored in advance. Each... | 06/22/2010 |
| 7529599 | Systems and methods for coordination motion instructions The invention provides systems and methods that integrate and/or control motion of a plurality of axes in a motion control environment. Grouped axes can be linked (e.g., via a tag) to provide desired multi-axis coordinated motion as well as provide control for corre... | 05/05/2009 |
| 7444214 | Obstacle detection apparatus, method and medium An obstacle detection apparatus and method which can detect the state of an obstacle according to a signal generated when the obstacle detection apparatus collides with the obstacle and a change in the posture of the obstacle detection apparatus caused due to the co... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7424342 | Transport system A computer in a transport system includes: a shooting part for shooting a first calibration tray by controlling a camera; a tray position computing part for computing a tray position of the first calibration tray within a captured image which the shooting part shot;... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7424341 | Robot system A robot system efficiently performing an operation of moving a robot to close to and/or separate from a target point, such as teaching operation. A camera of a visual sensor is mounted to the robot such that a distal end of an end effector is seen within the field o... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7421313 | Robot apparatus and control method thereof A robot apparatus that is able to determine whether to ask a user for help, according to robot's situations. The robot apparatus determines based on an external or internal situation of the robot and its serious level whether to ask for help. When the robot apparatu... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7421314 | Method and device for controlling robot A method for controlling a robot during an interpolation of a trajectory or motion to any prescribed position, comprises the steps of a) ignoring at least one of the three originally prescribed or interpolated tool center point orientation values; b) finding new too... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7418312 | Robot apparatus and walking control method thereof An object of the present invention is to provide a robot apparatus and a walking control method thereof capable of changing walking control modes in accordance with floor surfaces by discriminating states of the floor surfaces for walking without modifying a step-ba... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7409377 | Accelerated solution of constraint satisfaction problems by partitioning of the variable space Methods, systems and apparatus for modeling a target system includes defining a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) that characterizes the target system in terms of a set of variables, each having a respective input domain, and initial constraints applicable to th... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7398136 | Biped robot control system In a biped robot control system, stereoscopic images captured by CCD cameras are analyzed, the analyzed images are then utilized to detect presence of any moving object around the robot and if it present, to calculate moving object information, and based on the calc... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7395136 | Robot end effector detachment sensor A robot device includes a sensor on its base plate capable of sensing rotation of the base plate occasioned by decoupling of a detachable joint that joins a forearm member of the robot to the base plate. The sensor produces an output signal which, if above a preset ... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7389156 | Autonomous surface cleaning robot for wet and dry cleaning An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to s... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7386364 | Operation control device for leg-type mobile robot and operation control method, and robot device A legged mobile robot gives up a normal walking motion and starts a tumbling motion when an excessively high external force or external moment is applied thereto and a behavior plan of a foot part thereof is disabled. At this time, the variation amount ΔS/Δt of th... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7379871 | Speech synthesizing apparatus, speech synthesizing method, and recording medium using a plurality of substitute dictionaries corresponding to pre-programmed personality information Various sensors detect conditions outside a robot and an operation applied to the robot, and output the results of detection to a robot-motion-system control section. The robot-motion-system control section determines a behavior state according to a behavior model. ... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7379790 | Tool memory-based software upgrades for robotic surgery Robotic devices, systems, and methods for use in robotic surgery and other robotic applications, and/or medical instrument devices, systems, and methods includes both a reusable processor and a limited-use robotic tool or medical treatment probe. A memory the limite... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7373218 | Image distribution system An information distribution system capable of presenting an image photographed by a moving body, such as a robot or vehicle, selected by a user. The information distribution system includes moving bodies, local managers, and a global manager. When a user requests a ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7366587 | Legged mobile robot The characteristics of actuators themselves and the characteristics of controllers for the actuators are dynamically or statically controlled to achieve stable and highly efficient movements. In a stage in which a leg in the flight state is uplifted such that the re... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7359830 | Method for automatic on-line calibration of a process model A method is disclosed for collecting and processing raw process data. The method includes processing the raw data through a process model to obtain a prediction of the process quality; processing this prediction through two dynamic transfer functions thus creating t... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7346428 | Robotic sweeper cleaner with dusting pad An autonomously movable home cleaning robot that incorporates a sweeper and dust bin as well as a dusting assembly in tandem in the direction of movement of the robot. ... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7346429 | Mobile robot hybrid communication link A mobile robot communication system includes a remote unit, a repeater module and a control station. A cable connects the repeater module to the control station. The remote unit has a wireless receiver/transmitter for sending and receiving commands. The repeater mod... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7340323 | Industrial robot with controlled flexibility and simulated force for automated assembly An industrial robot that uses a simulated force vector to allow a work piece held by the robot end effector to be mated with a work piece whose location and orientation is not precisely known to the robot. When the end effector makes contact with the location and or... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7330774 | Reception system An operation control unit of a reception system includes a visitor ID information DB for storing therein visitor comparison information and visitor ID information including a phone number of a receiver of a visitor; an identifying unit for identifying the visitor wh... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7330775 | Legged mobile robot controller, legged mobile robot and legged mobile robot control method A legged mobile robot, a legged mobile robot controller and a legged mobile robot control method are provided to perform a loading operation to load a gripped object in parallel on a target place having a height where a stretchable range of arm portions of the legge... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7325667 | Systems and methods for feeding articles to and removing articles from an automatic washer Systems, methods, and devices for feeding articles to and removing articles from an automatic washer, for example, a tunnel-type automatic washer are provided. The systems and methods employ conveyors, for example, belt conveyors, gantry-type conveyors, and shuttle-... | 02/05/2008 |
