Modular Robot

Abstract

Provided is a robot including a chassis; a set of wheels coupled to the chassis; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations. The operations include capturing, with an image sensor disposed on the robot, a plurality of images of an environment of the robot as the robot navigates within the environment; identifying, with the processor, an obstacle type of an obstacle captured in an image based on a comparison between features of the obstacle and features of obstacles with different obstacles types stored in a database; and determining, with the processor, an action of the robot based on the obstacle type of the obstacle.

1 . A robot, comprising:
 a chassis;   a set of wheels coupled to the chassis;   a plurality of sensors;   a processor; and   a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations comprising:
 capturing, with an image sensor disposed on the robot, a plurality of images of an environment of the robot as the robot navigates within the environment; 
 identifying, with the processor, an obstacle type of an obstacle captured in an image based on a comparison between features of the obstacle and features of obstacles with different obstacles types stored in a database; and 
 determining, with the processor, an action of the robot based on the obstacle type of the obstacle. 
   
     
     
         2 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 capturing, with at least sensor of the plurality of sensors, first data and second data, wherein the first data is captured from a first position and orientation and the second data is captured from a second position and orientation, different from the first position and orientation; and   combining, with the processor, the first data and the second data to generate a digital spatial representation of the environment, wherein:
 the digital spatial representation of the environment comprises areas of the environment already explored by the robot; and 
 the digital spatial representation indicates locations of physical objects and boundaries of the environment already explored by the robot. 
   
     
     
         3 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the robot is paired with an application of a communication device configured to:
 display a digital spatial representation of the environment; and   receive at least one input designating a modification to the digital spatial representation, an addition of or a modification to a subarea within the digital spatial representation of the environment, a label of a subarea within the digital spatial representation of the environment, an impeller speed, and an operational schedule of the robot.   
     
     
         4 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 transmitting, with the processor, at least one image of the plurality of images to the application.   
     
     
         5 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 capturing, with at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, data indicative of debris as the robot navigates within the environment;   detecting, with the processor, at least one location within the environment with debris; and   adjusting, with the processor, a path of the robot based on the at least one location within the environment with debris.   
     
     
         6 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 capturing, with at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, data indicative of a floor type of a driving surface of the robot; and   adjusting, with the processor, an impeller speed of an impeller of the robot based on the floor type of the driving surface.   
     
     
         7 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 capturing, with at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, data indicative of times of user activity within the environment; and   creating or adjusting, with the processor, an operational schedule of the robot based on the times of user activity within the environment.   
     
     
         8 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 capturing, with at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, data indicative of user activity within an area surrounding the robot; and   adjusting, with the processor, an impeller speed of an impeller of the robot or a vacuuming intensity based on the user activity within the area surrounding the robot.   
     
     
         9 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the action comprises adjusting a path of the robot to avoid the obstacle. 
     
     
         10 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 marking, with the processor, a location at which the obstacle was encountered within a digital spatial representation of the environment, wherein the application is configured to display the digital spatial representation of the environment.   
     
     
         11 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating, with the processor of the robot, an operational schedule of the robot, wherein the robot is scheduled to operate within the environment during times the robot is unlikely to encounter humans within the environment.   
     
     
         12 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the robot is a robotic cleaner;   the robot further comprises a main brush and a peripheral brush;   the peripheral brush comprises a plurality of arms; and   at least one arm of the peripheral brush comprises bristles extending from the respective arm, the bristles being secured to the at least one arm and one another with stitching to prevent the bristles from being forcibly plucked during operation of the robot.   
     
     
         13 . The robot of  claim 12 , wherein the bristles are secured to the at least one arm and one another using one or more of the following techniques: stitching at least one line across the bristles, stitching two lines in opposite directions diagonally across the width of the bristles, or stitching a crisscross pattern across the bristles. 
     
     
         14 . The robot of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the at least one stitched line across the bristles is in a direction perpendicular to the length of the bristles; and   the stitched crisscross pattern across the bristles is in a direction perpendicular to the length of the bristles.   
     
     
         15 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating, with the processor, a first movement path covering at least part of the environment;   actuating, with the processor, the robot to move along the first movement path, wherein actuating the robot to move along at least a portion of the first movement path comprises a repetitive iteration of:
 actuating, with the processor, the robot to traverse a first linear segment; 
 actuating, with the processor, the robot to rotate 180 degrees in a first rotation, wherein the first rotation comprises traversing a distance in a direction perpendicular to the first linear segment after starting the first rotation and before finishing the first rotation; 
 actuating, with the processor, the robot to traverse a second linear segment; and 
 actuating, with the processor, the robot to rotate 180 degrees in a second rotation, wherein the second rotation comprises traversing the distance in a direction perpendicular to the second linear segment after starting the second rotation and before finishing the second rotation. 
   
     
     
         16 . The robot of  claim 15 , wherein the distance is less than a coverage width of the robot. 
     
     
         17 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein a digital spatial representation of the environment is processed to identify rooms. 
     
     
         18 . The robot of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating, with the processor, a digital spatial representation of the environment based on at least some sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors, wherein at least one other robot obtains and uses the digital spatial representation of the environment.   
     
     
         19 . A tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a robot effectuates operations comprising:
 capturing, with an image sensor disposed on the robot, a plurality of images of an environment of the robot as the robot navigates within the environment;   identifying, with the processor, an obstacle type of an obstacle captured in an image based on a comparison between features of the obstacle and features of obstacles with different obstacles types stored in a database; and   determining, with the processor, an action of the robot based on the obstacle type of the obstacle.   
     
     
         20 . A method for operating a robot within an environment, comprising:
 capturing, with an image sensor disposed on a robot, a plurality of images of an environment of the robot as the robot navigates within the environment;   identifying, with a processor of the robot, an obstacle type of an obstacle captured in an image based on a comparison between features of the obstacle and features of obstacles with different obstacles types stored in a database; and   determining, with the processor, an action of the robot based on the obstacle type of the obstacle.