Adaptive Robot Navigation for High-Quality Sensing Data

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current techniques for Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled adaptive navigation for autonomous roaming robotic devices, particularly for optimizing sensing capabilities, face challenges such as poor quality data due to environmental dynamics, sensor positioning errors, and variability in operational environments.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method and system that utilize AI to optimize sensing capabilities of a roaming robotic device. This involves receiving data from the robotic device, analyzing it to determine quality, generating a model based on sample data, comparing input data to the model, and dynamically adjusting the robotic device's navigation to improve sensing quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a robotic device physically navigates to collect data in dynamic environments, then mobility and versatility are improved, but positioning and orientation errors increase leading to poor data quality

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovemobilityVSAvoiddata quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously receives sensor data from the robotic device, analyzes data quality metrics, and provides feedback by updating navigation policies when quality thresholds are not met. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the system to detect poor data quality caused by positioning errors and adjust navigation accordingly to improve future data collection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces reliance on precise mechanical positioning and orientation systems with an AI-based data quality assessment and policy update system. Instead of depending on perfect mechanical navigation, the system uses machine learning models to evaluate data quality and adapt navigation strategies, substituting mechanical precision requirements with computational intelligence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of operation

If the robotic device follows a fixed navigation policy, then operational simplicity is maintained, but inability to adapt to environmental variations leads to poor sensing quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation simplicityVSAvoidsensing quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The navigation policy is transformed from a static, fixed set of instructions to a dynamic, adaptive system that updates based on data quality analysis. The policy evolves over time by incorporating lessons from past navigation attempts and their resulting data quality outcomes, allowing the system to adapt to environmental variations while maintaining operational simplicity through automated learning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-improvement by automatically analyzing its own data quality and updating its navigation policy without external intervention. The robotic device and control system collaboratively learn from experience, with the policy updating itself based on performance feedback, enabling autonomous adaptation to environmental changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Use of energy by moving object

If downstream AI pipeline resides outside the robotic device on edge or cloud servers, then energy consumption on the device is reduced, but latency and data quality evaluation delays increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice energy consumptionVSAvoiddata quality evaluation latency
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential data quality evaluation functions from the downstream AI pipeline and implements them locally on the robotic device. By taking out and implementing critical quality assessment capabilities on-device, the system reduces latency for quality evaluation while maintaining energy efficiency by keeping the full AI pipeline on external servers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4419977B1Adaptive navigation for enhanced sensing task performance of autonomous roaming robotic devices
Publication Date: 2025.02.19 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • EP4419977B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4419977B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4419977B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Optimizing sensing capabilities of a roaming robotic device using Artificial Intelligence (Al) includes receiving data at a control system having a computer from a robotic device, the control system communicating a policy to the robotic device for choosing navigation actions for the robotic device. The received data is analyzed using the control system for determining when the received data meets a threshold upon determining quality of the data. The analysis can include generating a model based on the received data where the model includes vector representation of inputs detected by sensors at the location. In response to the received data at the control system not meeting the threshold for determining quality, the robotic device communicates with the control system to collaborate in updating the policy to choose a next action for the robotic device.