HIERARCHICAL ROBOTIC CONTROLLER APPARATUS AND METHODS

• US 20140371912A1
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brain Corporation
• Original Assignee: Brain Corporation
• Inventors: Passot, Jean-Baptiste, Sinyavskiy, Oleg, Ponulak, Filip, Laurent, Patryk, Izhikevich, Eugene, Polonichko, Vadim, Gabardos, Borja Ibarz
• Granted Patent: US 9,792,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/049 Temporal neural networks, e.g. delay elements, oscillating neurons or pulsed inputs

Abstract

A robot may be trained by a user guiding the robot along target trajectory using a control signal. A robot may comprise an adaptive controller. The controller may be configured to generate control commands based on the user guidance, sensory input and a performance measure. A user may interface to the robot via an adaptively configured remote controller. The remote controller may comprise a mobile device, configured by the user in accordance with phenotype and/or operational configuration of the robot. The remote controller may detect changes in the robot phenotype and/or operational configuration. The remote controller may comprise multiple control elements configured to activate respective portions of the robot platform. Based on training, the remote controller may configure composite controls configured based two or more of control elements. Activation of a composite control may enable the robot to perform a task.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions being executable by a processor to perform a method for controlling a robotic platform, the method comprising:

based on a detection of a sequence of control actions comprising two or more activations of the robotic platform, generating a composite control element, the composite control element being configured to execute the sequence.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein:

the sequence is configured to cause the robotic platform to execute a target task;

individual ones of the two or more activations are based on a user issuing two or more control commands via a remote control interface; and

the composite control element is configured to execute the task responsive to a single activation of the composite control element by the user.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein individual ones of the two or more control commands comprise multiple instances of a given control operation effectuated based on multiple activations of a first control element associated with the remote control interface.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein:

individual ones of the two or more control commands comprise one or more instances of two or more control operation effectuated based on activations of a first control element and a second control element associated with the remote control interface; and

the single activation is configured to obviate the activations of the first control element and the second control element by the user.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein:

the user comprises a human; and

detection is configured based on an request by the user.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein:

individual ones of the sequence of control actions are configured based on a control signal generated by a controller of the robotic platform based on a sensory context and user input;

the a control signal generation is effectuated by a learning process comprising adjusting a learning parameter based on a performance measure, the performance measure being configured based on individual ones of the sequence of control actions and the target action; and

the detection is effectuated based on an indication provided by the learning process absent user request.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein:

the platform comprises at least one actuator; and

the activation comprises activating the least one actuator at two or more instances of time, the instances being separated by a time period.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the learning process comprises execution of multiple trials, individual ones of the multiple trials being characterized by trial duration;

individual ones of the sequence of control actions correspond to an execution of a given trial of the multiple trials; and

the time period corresponds to the trial duration.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein:

the robotic platform comprises two or more individually controllable actuators; and

the activation comprise activating individual ones of the two or more actuators.

10. A remote control apparatus of a robot, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to operate a learning process;

a sensor coupled to the processor;

a user interface configured to present one or more human perceptible control elements; and

a remote communications interface configured to communicate to the robot a plurality of control commands configured by the learning process based on an association between the sensor input and individual ones of a plurality of user inputs provided via one or more of the one or more human perceptible control elements;

wherein;

the communication to the robot of the plurality of control command is configured to cause the robot to execute a plurality of actions;

the learning process is configured based on a performance measure between a target action and individual ones of the plurality of actions; and

the association between the sensor input and individual ones of a plurality of actions is configured to cause generation of one or more of control primitives, individual ones of the plurality of control primitives being configured to cause execution of a respective action of the plurality of actions.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the learning process is configured to generate a composite control based on a detection of the provision of individual ones of a plurality of user inputs; and

an individual action of the plurality of actions corresponds to execution of the task.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the learning process is configured to generate a composite control based on a request by the user; and

the composite control is configured to actuate the plurality of actions thereby causing an execution of the target action responsive to a single activation by the user.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the learning parameter adjustment is configured based on a supervised learning process, the supervised learning process being configured based on the sensory context and a combination of the control signal and the user input.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the composite control generation comprises presenting an additional human perceptible control element configured to cause activation of the composite control by the use; and

activation of the composite control is configured based on detecting one or more of an audio signal, a touch signal, and an electrical signal by the user interface.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

provision of individual ones of the plurality of user inputs is configured based on the user issuing an audible tag or a touch indication to the user interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the audio signal is configured based on an audible tag issued by the user, the tag having a characteristic associated therewith; and

the detecting one or more of the audio signal, the touch signal, and the electrical signal by the user interface is configured based on a match between the characteristic and a parameter associated with the generation of the composite control.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the target action is characterized by a plurality of terms in a human language;

the audible tag comprises a voice command that is not required to have a common meaning as individual ones of the plurality of terms.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the audible tag comprises one or more of a voice command or a clap sequence; and

the parameter comprises a spectrogram.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the user interface comprises a touch sensitive interface; and

the touch signal is configured based on a pattern provided by the user via the touch interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the user interface comprises a camera; and

the electrical signal is configured based on capturing a representation of the user by the camera.

21. A method for controlling a robot to execute a task, the method comprising:

based on a first indication received from a user, executing a plurality of actions, individual ones of the plurality of actions being configured based on sensory input and a given user input of a plurality of user inputs; and

based on a second indication received from a user, associating a control component with the task, the control component being characterized by provision of a user discernible representation;

wherein;

the execution of the plurality of actions is configured to effectuate execution of the task by the robot; and

activation by the user of the control component using the user discernible representation is configured to cause the robot to execute the task.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the provision of the user discernible representation comprises:

disposing an icon on a display; and

configuring a user interface device to receive input based on the user action configured in accordance with the icon.