Autonomous Robot Teleoperation for Stuck Task Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous robots often encounter situations where they lack the necessary strategies to complete tasks and become 'stuck', requiring human intervention but lack efficient methods for seamless transition between autonomous and teleoperated modes.
Innovation Solution
The robot is equipped with on-demand teleoperation capabilities, allowing it to prompt a human operator for assistance when it cannot determine a strategy, using sensors and intuitive manual input devices for efficient teleoperation, and resumes autonomous operation when feasible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot operates autonomously without human intervention, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates when the robot encounters unfamiliar situations and becomes stuck
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a teleoperation system as an intermediary between autonomous operation and human control. When the robot encounters situations it cannot handle autonomously, the system seamlessly transitions to teleoperated mode, allowing a human operator to intervene. This mediator approach maintains high productivity during normal operation while ensuring reliability when unexpected situations arise, as the human operator can resolve complex problems that the autonomous system cannot handle.
2Reliability
If the robot transitions to teleoperated mode when stuck, then reliability is improved, but loss of time increases due to mode switching and human intervention delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by maintaining a teleoperation system in standby mode even when the robot is operating autonomously. The system pre-configures the teleoperation interface and maintains communication channels open, so that when the robot encounters a situation it cannot handle, the transition to teleoperated mode can occur rapidly. This preliminary preparation minimizes the time loss associated with mode switching, as the infrastructure is already in place and does not need to be established from scratch during critical intervention moments.
3Reliability
If continuous human oversight is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a flexible control system that can dynamically switch between autonomous and teleoperated modes based on the robot's needs. Rather than implementing continuous static human oversight, the system dynamically assesses whether human intervention is necessary and transitions modes accordingly. This dynamic approach reduces device complexity compared to continuous human monitoring, as the system only engages human operators when truly needed, while maintaining reliability through on-demand human expertise.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot is operated in an autonomous mode of operation to perform a plurality of tasks. It is determined that a later task of the plurality of tasks needs human assistance while performing a current task of the plurality of tasks. The human assistance is scheduled for the later task. A teleoperator is communicated with to perform the human assistance associated with the later task.