Unified Collaborative Workspace Using UWB Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic technologies lack the ability to effectively combine human cognitive skills with robotic capabilities, limiting their ability to perform complex tasks that require human decision-making and expertise, even when human expertise is readily available nearby.
Innovation Solution
A system and methodology that creates a unified collaborative workspace environment by using Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) transceivers to establish a local positional frame of reference, enabling peer-to-peer networking between workspaces to share positional data and leverage human cognition through a collaboration module that includes a fusion engine, task allocation engine, and data analytics engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If robots operate autonomously with current AI capabilities, then they can perform detailed and repetitive tasks expeditiously, but they lack cognitive skills for complex decision-making and tasks requiring human expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges robotic autonomous operation with human cognitive capabilities through a unified collaborative workspace environment. The system combines robot sensors, processors, and actuators with human users' cognitive skills and decision-making abilities, allowing robots to perform routine tasks while humans handle complex decisions, thereby resolving the contradiction between execution speed and cognitive versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a collaborative workspace environment as an intermediary between robots and human users. This environment includes virtual representations of physical workspaces, avatars representing users and robots, and a unified frame of reference that mediates interaction. The intermediary enables seamless collaboration by translating between robotic autonomous operations and human cognitive inputs, allowing robots to leverage human expertise without sacrificing operational efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If human expertise is made readily available to robots, then cognitive capabilities are enhanced, but system complexity increases due to integration of multiple workspaces and users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal collaborative workspace environment that can accommodate multiple users, robots, and task types through a single unified system. The environment supports various interaction modes (direct control, collaborative decision-making, oversight) and can adapt to different workspace configurations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems for each robot-user pair, thereby managing complexity while enhancing cognitive capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical workspaces, robots, and human users within the collaborative environment. These virtual representations (avatars, digital twins) allow users to interact with robots remotely and enable the system to simulate and plan tasks before execution. The copying approach simplifies integration by working with virtual models rather than directly managing complex physical interactions, reducing system complexity while maintaining cognitive enhancement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple workspaces are unified into a single collaborative environment, then human cognition can be leveraged across distances, but positional correlation and frame of reference alignment become complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes a unified frame of reference that creates an equipotential collaborative environment where positional relationships between multiple workspaces, users, and robots are harmonized. The system transforms local positional data from different workspaces into a common coordinate system, ensuring consistent spatial relationships across distributed environments. This equipotential approach simplifies positional correlation by eliminating reference frame discrepancies, enabling seamless collaboration across distances without complex transformation calculations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables robots to utilize human cognitive skills remotely, enhancing their ability to perform complex tasks by merging real and virtual elements, allowing multiple users to collaborate and direct robotic actions across distances, thereby overcoming the limitations of current robotic capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The workspace position engine establishes a local workspace positional frame of reference for each workspace environment using a constellation of Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) transceivers
Data Source
AI summary
A unified collaboration environment is formed by establishing a local workspace positional frame of reference using a plurality of UWB transceivers. With a frame of reference established a communication link is established between each of the workspaces, and a collaboration module to establish a peer-to-peer network. Data is received from each of the workspaces including the local workspace frame of reference, the set of available assets and workspace behavior (tasks). The collaboration module crafts a unified collaboration environment by transforming the local workspace into a collaborative positional frame of reference. A user, through a user interface, can offer real-time input to a virtualized version of the workspace to augment actions within the workspace environment.