Docks for legged robots and related technology
A system in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology includes a robot and a dock. The robot includes a body and a plurality of legs connected to the body through which the robot is configured to ambulate. The robot further includes a hanger carried by the body and a charge-receiving electrode at the hanger. The dock includes a hook, a charge-dispensing electrode at the hook, and a guide that urges the hanger into alignment with the hook. The system is transitionable between an undocked state and a docked state. In the undocked state, the robot and the dock are spaced apart from one another. In the docked state, the hanger is received at the hook, the dock supports at least a portion of a weight of the robot via the hook, and the charge-receiving electrode is electrically connected to the charge-dispensing electrode.
1 . A method comprising:
ambulating a robot posteriorly along an anterior-posterior dimension defined by the robot toward a dock operably associated with the robot within a system, wherein ambulating the robot includes ambulating the robot via movement of a plurality of legs of the robot;
tilting a superior portion of a torso of a body of the robot relative to an inferior portion of the torso about a first tilting axis perpendicular to a sagittal plane defined by the robot, wherein tilting the superior portion of the torso at least partially causes a hanger of the robot to be received at the dock;
tilting the inferior portion of the torso relative to the superior portion of the torso toward the dock about a second tilting axis perpendicular to the sagittal plane after the hanger is received at the dock;
slidingly contacting the hanger and the dock at an interface between the hanger and the dock while tilting the inferior portion of the torso relative to the superior portion of the torso, wherein the interface is curved about the second tilting axis;
moving the plurality of legs to transfer at least a portion of a weight of the robot to the dock via the hanger after receiving the hanger at the dock; and
charging a battery of the robot via the dock after transferring at least the portion of the weight of the robot to the dock.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting a stabilizer of the dock and the inferior portion of the torso after tilting the inferior portion of the torso, wherein contact between the stabilizer and the inferior portion of the torso inhibits further rotation of the inferior portion of the torso relative to the superior portion of the torso about the second tilting axis.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
tilting the superior portion of the torso at least partially causes the hanger to be received in a first receiving direction at a guide of the dock;
the method further comprises moving the hanger in a second receiving direction from the guide to a hook of the dock after receiving the hanger at the guide;
the first receiving direction is different from the second receiving direction; and
moving the plurality of legs to transfer at least the portion of the weight of the robot to the dock includes moving the plurality of legs to transfer at least the portion of the weight of the robot to the dock via the hanger and via the hook.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising slidingly contacting the hanger and the guide while moving the hanger in the second receiving direction, where slidingly contacting the hanger and the guide urges the hanger into alignment with the hook.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second receiving direction is within 20 degrees of perpendicular to the first receiving direction.
6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein:
during the method, the dock includes a base and a main housing cantilevered from the base; and
the hook is at the main housing.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein ambulating the robot posteriorly includes ambulating the robot posteriorly bipedally.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein:
ambulating the robot posteriorly bipedally includes ambulating the robot posteriorly bipedally along a ground surface;
during the method, the dock is connected to an overhead support structure; and
the method further comprises moving the dock upward relative to the ground surface while the hanger is received at the dock.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein moving the dock upward relative to the ground surface causes individual legs among the plurality of legs to straighten by gravity.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring at least the portion of the weight of the robot includes transferring at least most of the weight of the robot.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring at least the portion of the weight of the robot includes transferring substantially all of the weight of the robot to the dock.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, during the method, the hanger extends posteriorly from the body.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, during the method, the hanger is connected to the body via the superior portion of the torso.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein, during the method, the plurality of legs is connected to the body via the inferior portion of the torso.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, during the method, the plurality of legs is connected to the body via the inferior portion of the torso.
16 . A system, comprising:
a robot defining a sagittal plane and including:
a charge-receiving electrode curved about an axis perpendicular to the sagittal plane, and
a battery configured to be charged via the charge-receiving electrode;
a dock operably associated with the robot, wherein the dock includes a charge-dispensing electrode shaped to contact the charge-receiving electrode via a curved charging interface;
a sensor operably associated with the robot and with the dock, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a characteristic of electrical contact between the charge-receiving electrode and the charge-dispensing electrode; and
a computer operably associated with the robot, with the dock, and with the sensor, wherein the computer includes:
processing circuitry, and
memory storing non-transitory instructions that, when executed via the processing circuitry, at least partially cause:
a rate of charging the battery via the charge-receiving electrode and via the charge-dispensing electrode to increase when the characteristic indicates adequate electrical contact between the charge-receiving electrode and the charge-dispensing electrode, and
sliding contact between the charge-dispensing electrode and the charge-receiving electrode at the curved charging interface when the characteristic indicates inadequate electrical contact between the charge-receiving electrode and the charge-dispensing electrode.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the charge-dispensing electrode is resiliently carried by the dock.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein:
the system is transitionable between:
an undocked state in which the robot and the dock are spaced apart from one another, and
a docked state in which the charge-receiving electrode is electrically connected to the charge-dispensing electrode; and
the charge-dispensing electrode is configured to resiliently deflect at least partially in response to contact with the charge-receiving electrode as the system transitions from the undocked state toward the docked state.
19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein:
the charge-receiving electrode is at a hanger of the robot;
the charge-dispensing electrode is at a hook of the dock; and
the dock is configured to support at least most of a weight of the robot via the hanger and via the hook while charging the battery.
20 . The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the robot includes:
a body,
a plurality of legs connected to the body, and
a hanger extending posteriorly from the body;
the robot is configured to ambulate via the plurality of legs; and
the charge-receiving electrode is at the hanger.