Modular Robot Power Platform for Multi-Environment Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots operating in gaming environments, such as casinos, struggle to navigate and perform functions effectively due to unpredictable and constantly changing conditions, including player emotions and behaviors, which can lead to unsafe situations.
Innovation Solution
Modular robots equipped with diverse sensor arrays and power systems that allow them to adapt to different environments, providing a gaming experience by coordinating sensor inputs with user interactions through customizable input devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If robots are deployed in gaming environments, then they can provide gaming experiences and interact with users, but they fail to safely navigate unpredictable environments with changing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The robot is divided into modular subsystems including a base subsystem with mobility device and sensors, and an upper subsystem with input devices and control circuit. This segmentation allows each module to be independently optimized and configured for specific functions, improving overall adaptability while maintaining reliable core navigation capabilities through the dedicated base subsystem.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs a universal sensor platform and power management system that can support multiple different sensor types and configurations. This universal architecture enables the same base subsystem to reliably operate across various environments by simply changing the sensor arrays and upper subsystem configurations, rather than requiring environment-specific robot designs.
2Reliability
If diverse sensor arrays are added to provide environment awareness, then navigation capability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A universal power management platform is implemented that can interface with multiple different sensor types and configurations through standardized protocols. This universal approach allows diverse sensor arrays to be integrated without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the power management system handles variations in a standardized manner rather than requiring custom integration logic for each sensor type.
Solution Approach 2:
The power management system acts as an intermediary layer between the diverse sensor arrays and the control circuit. This intermediary handles power distribution, signal routing, and data coordination, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture by abstracting away the complexity of interfacing with multiple sensor types through a unified interface.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple upper subsystems with different sensors are used for specialized functions, then functionality is enhanced, but power management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power management system is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple different upper subsystems with various sensor types and power requirements. It provides standardized power output configurations and interface protocols, allowing specialized functions to be added through modular subsystems without proportionally increasing power management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The power management system dynamically adjusts power distribution parameters such as voltage levels, current allocation, and power timing based on the specific requirements of different sensor arrays and upper subsystems. This parameter-based control allows the system to efficiently manage power to multiple specialized subsystems through a unified management approach, reducing overall complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes a system that, itself, includes a base subsystem. The base subsystem may include a mobility device that is configured to move the base subsystem along a surface. The system also may also include a set of sensors that are physically coupled to the base subsystem and are communicatively coupled to the mobility device in a manner than enables the system to navigate two or more different operational environments. The system may further include an upper subsystem that is coupled to the base subsystem and that includes a set of input devices. The system may also include a control circuit programmed to coordinate input received from the set of input devices with signals from the set of sensors to provide a user with a gaming experience within at least one of the operational environments. Other corresponding apparatuses and modular robot systems are also provided.