Distributed Autonomous Robot Systems and Methods

An autonomous distributed computing system comprising:

• a first computing system including at least one server and a first database disposed in a first facility;
• a plurality of autonomous robot pickers including at least one processor disposed in a second facility;
• a conveyer belt disposed in the second facility;
• a second computing system including at least one server and a database,
• communicatively coupled to the first computing system, the plurality of autonomous robot pickers, and the conveyer belt, wherein the second computing system located remotely from the first computing system;
• the second computing system configured to:
• (i) receive data indicative of absence of like physical objects associated with a set of like physical objects disposed at a first location within the first facility;
• (ii) correct a perpetual inventory error associated with the first facility based at least in part on the data, (iii) transmit instructions to at least one of the plurality of autonomous robot pickers in response to correction the perpetual inventory error;
• and (iii) control an operation of the conveyer belt;
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of autonomous robot pickers is configured to:
• (i) autonomously navigate to a storage location of the like physical objects in response to the instructions;
• (ii) autonomously control a picking unit of the at least one of the plurality of robot pickers to remove at least one of the like physical objects from the storage location, and (iii) autonomously control the picking unit to place at least one of the like physical objects on the conveyer belt to transport the at least one of the like physical objects from the storage location to a distribution location.

A method implemented by an autonomous distributed computing system, the method comprising:

• roaming autonomously through a first facility by an autonomous robot device that includes a controller, a drive motor, and an image capturing device, the autonomous robot device roaming the facility in response to operation of the drive motor by the controller;
• capturing, via the image capturing device of the autonomous robot device, an image of a first location within the first facility at which a set of like physical objects is supposed to be disposed;
• detecting, by the autonomous robot device, that like physical objects of a set of like physical objects are absent from the first location based on the image;
• reading, by the autonomous robot device, an identifier at the first location that is associated with the set of like physical objects;
• transmitting, via the at least one of the autonomous robot devices, the identifier to a first computing system that includes at least one server and a first database;
• storing, via the first computing system, data in the first database that indicates a need to add more of the like physical objects to the set at the first location in response to receipt of the identifier from the autonomous robot device;
• upon execution of an automated batch file, transmitting the data associated with the like physical objects stored in the first database from the first computing system to a second computing system, the second computing system be located remotely from the first computing system;
• receiving the data associated with the like physical objects at the second computing system;
• correcting, via the second computing system, a perpetual inventory error associated with the first facility based at least in part on the data associated with the like physical objects;
• transmitting, via the second computing system, a corrected perpetual inventory to the first computing system;
• transmit instructions from the second computing system to an autonomous robot picker disposed in a second facility in response to correction of the perpetual inventory error;
• controlling, via the second computing system, an operation of a conveyer belt disposed in the second facility;
• autonomously navigating to a storage location of the like physical objects in the second facility by autonomous robot picker in response to the instructions;
• autonomously controlling by the autonomous robot picker, a picking unit of the autonomous robot picker to remove at least one of the like physical objects from the storage location;
• and
• autonomously controlling the picking unit to place the at least one of the like physical objects on the conveyer belt to transport the at least one of the like physical objects from the storage location to a distribution location in the second facility.