Communication system for an interaction system

A method for performing interactions within a physical environment using a system including a robot, the system having:

• a) a robot base being mounted on a boom, wherein the robot base undergoes movement relative to the environment;
• b) a robot arm mounted to the robot base, the robot arm including an end effector mounted thereon for performing said interactions;
• c) a communications system including a fieldbus network;
• d) a tracking system including:
• i) a tracking base positioned in the environment and connected to the fieldbus network;
• and,
• ii) a target mounted to a component of the robot;
• and
• e) a control system,
• wherein the method comprises:
• moving the robot base relative to the environment while the robot arm is in use;
• tracking the target as the robot moves to determine a position and/or orientation of the target relative to the tracking base;
• and
• in the control system:
• (1) communicating with the tracking system via the fieldbus network to determine the position and/or orientation of the target relative to the tracking base while the robot base undergoes movements;
• (2) controlling the robot arm via the fieldbus network in accordance with the position and/or orientation of target relative to the tracking base;
• and
• (3) controlling the boom via the fieldbus network in accordance with the position and/or orientation of the tracking target relative to the tracking base.

A computer program product including one or more non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon, which when executed by a suitably programmed control system causes the control system to control a system for performing interactions within a physical environment, the system including a robot having:

• a) a robot base being mounted on a boom;
• b) a robot arm mounted to the robot base, the robot arm including an end effector mounted thereon for performing said interactions, wherein the robot base undergoes movement relative to the environment while the robot arm is in use;
• c) a communications system including a fieldbus network;
• and,
• d) a tracking system including:
• i) a tracking base positioned in the environment and connected to the fieldbus network;
• and,
• ii) a target mounted to a component of the robot, wherein at least the tracking base is configured to track the target as the robot moves to allow a position and/or orientation of the target relative to the tracking base to be determined and wherein, when executed, the computer executable code causes the control system to:
• (1) communicate with the tracking system via the fieldbus network to determine the relative position and/or orientation of the target relative to the tracking base while the robot base undergoes movements;
• (2) control the robot arm via the fieldbus network accordance with the relative position and/or orientation of the target relative to the tracking base;
• and
• (3) controls the boom via the fieldbus network in accordance with the position and/or orientation of the tracking target relative to the tracking base.