The Boeing Company
Robotic system and method for operating on a workpiece

Abstract:

A robotic system includes a robot and a processor configured to autonomously generate a master plan for movement of an end effector of the robot for operating on an operating surface of a workpiece in a physical environment. The master plan is based on a computer aided design (CAD) model of the workpiece and defines movement paths of the end effector based on a reach distance of a robotic arm of the robot at each of a plurality of working waypoints defined in the master plan and corresponding to fiducial markers on the workpiece. The processor registers the robot to the workpiece, iteratively adjusts an approximate workpiece position in a world map until matching an actual workpiece position in the physical environment, and constructs and executes a robotic arm trajectory causing the end effector to operate on the operating surface along the movement paths defined in the master plan.