Simulation assisted planning of motions to lift heavy objects

An article of manufacture for planning of motions to lift heavy objects using a robot system comprising a robot and an end effector, the article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

• identifying (a) a plurality of rigid bodies included in the robot and the end effector, (b) a plurality of joints connecting the rigid bodies, and (c) torque limits for each of the joints, wherein the torque limit for a joint indicates a maximum supported torque by a drive operating the joint;
• applying a motion path searching algorithm to the input data to identify one or more feasible robot paths, wherein:
• (a) the motion path searching algorithm determines torque of each joint when evaluating points for inclusion in a feasible robot paths, and
• (b) an evaluated point is only included in a feasible robot path if the torque of each of the joints do not exceed the torque limits;
• and
• transferring at least one of the feasible robot paths to a controller associated with the robot.

A system for planning of motions to lift heavy objects using a robot, the system comprising:

• a robot system comprising a robot, an end effector, and one or more loads;
• a controller associated with the robot;
• a computing system comprising one or more processors configured to:
• identify (a) a plurality of rigid bodies included in the robot and the end effector, (b) a plurality of joints connecting the rigid bodies, and (c) torque limits for each of the joints, wherein the torque limit for a joint indicates a maximum supported torque by a drive operating the joint;
• apply a motion path searching algorithm to the input data to identify one or more feasible robot paths, wherein:
• (a) the motion path searching algorithm determines torque of each of joint when evaluating points for inclusion in a feasible robot paths, and
• (b) an evaluated point is only included in a feasible robot path if the torque of each of the joints do not exceed the torque limits;
• and
• transfer at least one of the feasible robot paths to the controller associated with the robot.