Mobile Robot Arm and Rotating Ring for Elevator and Door Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robots lack the capability to effectively interact with and navigate through complex commercial and industrial environments, particularly in settings requiring frequent human-robot interactions, such as retail and security environments, due to limitations in their ability to perform tasks like opening doors, using elevators, and checking lock states.
Innovation Solution
A mobile robot equipped with a motorized base, a rotatable ring, and a mechanical arm that can extend, rotate, and grasp objects, coupled with sensors and controllers to navigate and perform tasks autonomously, including opening doors and using elevators, while also checking lock states and interacting with infrastructure systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a robot is equipped with a mechanical arm and rotatable ring for interacting with infrastructure systems, then the robot's ability to perform tasks like opening doors and using elevators is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical arm is designed to perform multiple functions including pressing elevator buttons, opening doors, and checking lock states. The rotatable ring mechanism enables the arm to reach various heights and positions, making the same hardware component adaptable to different infrastructure interactions across multiple floors and building types.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical arm is nested within the rotatable ring structure, which itself is integrated into the robot body. This nested configuration allows the arm to rotate horizontally via the ring while maintaining compact storage when not in use, reducing the overall space requirement and simplifying the robot's form factor despite the added functionality.
2Extent of automation
If the robot uses sensors and controllers to autonomously navigate and perform tasks, then the extent of automation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot autonomously determines when and where to interact with infrastructure systems without human intervention. The controller automatically plans navigation routes, identifies elevator locations, presses appropriate buttons, and monitors lock states, enabling the system to serve itself in navigating and completing tasks independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors continuously monitor the robot's position, elevator door status, and lock states, providing real-time feedback to the controller. This feedback loop enables the controller to adjust navigation paths, determine when elevators have arrived, verify door opening success, and confirm lock status changes, achieving autonomous operation through continuous environmental perception and response.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile robot is configured for operation in a commercial or industrial setting, such as an office building or retail store. The mobile robot can have a motorized base and a robot body on the motorized base, the robot body including a rotatable ring that rotates horizontally around the robot body. A mechanical arm that can contract and extend relative to the robot body is coupled to the rotatable ring and performs a plurality of actions. A controller of the mobile robot provides instructions to the rotatable ring and the mechanical arm and can cause the mechanical arm to open a door, take an elevator to move to a different floor, and test whether a door is locked properly.