Path correction for end effector control

A method for performing interactions within a physical environment using a system including:

• a) a robot base that undergoes movement relative to the environment, the robot base being mounted on a boom extending from a boom base;
• b) a robot arm mounted to the robot base, the robot arm including an end effector mounted thereon;
• and
• c) a tracking system that measures a robot base position indicative of a position of the robot base relative to the environment, and wherein the method includes, in a control system:
• i) acquiring an indication of an end effector destination;
• ii) determining a reference robot base position, wherein the reference robot base position is:
• (1) a predicted robot base position based on movement of the robot base from a current robot base position;
• and/or
• (2) a predicted robot base position based on movement of the robot base along a robot base path;
• iii) calculating an end effector path extending to the end effector destination at least in part using the reference robot base position;
• iv) determining the current robot base position using signals from the tracking system;
• v) calculating a correction based on the current robot base position, the correction being indicative of a path modification, wherein the correction takes into account movement of the robot base relative to the environment that is at least one of:
• (1) unintentional movement, and
• (2) intentional movement;
• vi) generating robot control signals based on the end effector path and the correction;
• vii) applying the robot control signals to the robot arm to cause the end effector to be moved in accordance with the end effector path and the correction towards the destination;
• and
• viii) repeating steps (iv) to (vii) as the robot base moves relative to the environment and until the end effector destination is reached.

A computer-implemented method that causes a system to perform interactions within a physical environment, the system including:

• a) a robot base that undergoes movement relative to the environment, the robot base being mounted on a boom extending from a boom base;
• b) a robot arm mounted to the robot base, the robot arm including an end effector mounted thereon;
• and
• c) a tracking system that measures a robot base position indicative of a position of the robot base relative to the environment and wherein the method includes, in a control system:
• i) acquiring an indication of an end effector destination;
• ii) determining a reference robot base position, wherein the reference robot base position is:
• (1) a predicted robot base position based on movement of the robot base from a current robot base position;
• and/or
• (2) a predicted robot base position based on movement of the robot base along robot base path;
• iii) calculating an end effector path extending to the end effector destination at least in part using the reference robot base position;
• iv) determining the current robot base position using signals from the tracking system;
• v) calculating a correction based on the current robot base position, the correction being indicative of a path modification, wherein the correction takes into account movement of the robot base relative to the environment that is at least one of:
• (1) unintentional movement, and
• (2) intentional movement;
• vi) generating robot control signals based on the end effector path and the correction;
• vii) applying the robot control signals to the robot arm to cause the end effector to be moved in accordance with the end effector path and the correction towards the destination;
• and
• viii) repeating steps (iv) to (vii) to move the end effector towards the end effector destination as the robot base moves relative to the environment.