Robot Support Center for Remote Error Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots often encounter errors in complex tasks that require human intervention, leading to costly and delayed resolutions due to the need for on-site human technicians, especially when dealing with confusing or unexpected inputs.
Innovation Solution
A centralized support system that allows robots to query for assistance, collect evidence, and receive proposed solutions from human technicians or other robots, utilizing virtual reality or augmented reality environments for remote problem-solving and collaboration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If on-site human technicians are deployed to resolve robot errors, then error resolution accuracy is improved, but operational cost and time loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized support center acts as an intermediary between robots and human technicians. The support center receives queries from robots, formulates proposed solutions, and coordinates with technicians who can remotely access robot sensors and actuators. This intermediary system enables accurate error resolution without requiring physical on-site presence, thus reducing time loss while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical on-site technician intervention with a digital/telematic system. Technicians can remotely interact with robots through electronic communication channels, accessing sensor data and controlling actuators without physical presence. This substitution eliminates travel time and enables faster error resolution while maintaining the expertise-based accuracy that human technicians provide.
2Reliability
If on-site human technicians are deployed to resolve robot errors, then error resolution accuracy is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized support center serves as a cost-effective intermediary that consolidates technician expertise. Instead of deploying multiple technicians to multiple robot locations, one or fewer technicians can remotely assist multiple robots through the support center. This reduces travel costs, equipment deployment costs, and overall operational expenses while maintaining the ability to resolve errors accurately through human expertise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of the robot's sensory and actuation capabilities that can be accessed remotely. Technicians interact with replicated data streams and control interfaces rather than requiring physical presence at the robot. This copying approach allows expertise to be applied remotely at minimal cost, eliminating the need for expensive on-site deployment while preserving error resolution accuracy.
3Productivity
If robots operate autonomously without human intervention, then productivity is improved, but error handling capability deteriorates when encountering unexpected inputs
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where robots autonomously operate and only engage human expertise when errors occur. The centralized support center receives queries from robots encountering unexpected situations, formulates solutions, and returns them to the robots. This feedback loop maintains high productivity during normal operation while providing adaptability when errors arise, as robots can quickly receive human-formulated solutions without prolonged downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
Robots are designed to self-monitor their operational status and autonomously identify when they encounter errors beyond their programmed capabilities. Rather than requiring constant human supervision, robots independently determine when human intervention is needed and initiate queries to the support center. This self-service approach maintains high automation levels while ensuring adaptability is available precisely when the robot needs it most.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes a device, computer-readable medium, and method for providing logistical support for robots. In one example, the method includes receiving, at a centralized support center that is in communication with a plurality of robots, a query from a first robot of the plurality of robots that has been deployed to perform a task, wherein the query indicates an error encountered by the first robot and evidence of the error collected by the first robot, formulating, at the centralized support center, a proposed solution to resolve the error, wherein the formulating comprises soliciting an analysis of the evidence by a party other than the first robot, and delivering, by the centralized support center, the proposed solution to the first robot.