Technologies
GeckoNav™
The company has developed a real-time automatic navigation control system called GeckoNav. GeckoNav is based on a Fuzzy Hybrid Architecture providing the benefits of both proactive control and reaction within a single framework. Fuzzy Logic and Subsumption architecture are used to enable the fully autonomous AI behavior for the Mobile Service Robot (MSR) to sense and avoid dynamic and static obstacles in its environment.
GeckoNav runs on a PC to take full advantage of the high processing power available to today's computers to achive a phenomenal update rate of 20ms or less. The GeckoNav Architecture is fully expandable through a variety of standard interfaces.
GeckoChat™
GeckoChat is a conversational AI system that allows the user to verbally interact with those GSI systems that have GeckoChat bilateral communication capability. For instance, GeckoChat provides a verbal interface for a pre-identified user to request answers to questions entered by a caregiver or family member, to create reminders for important events, or to pass the time with a joke or word game. Also, the Mobile Service Robot has a way to relate information it observes about both its world and its internal state through GeckoChat. By combining these system-specific capabilities with the standalone functionality of GeckoChat, GeckoSystems provides a robust method to increase interactivity and autonomy in any domain where automated speech recognition and synthesis would be beneficial.
GeckoTrak™
GeckoTrak uses recently developed GeckoSystems software that merges and interprets data from three different sensor systems to achieve sensor fusion such that it can automatically follow a designated person anywhere in their home. Our latest MSR addition enables our CareBot to timely remind Grandma, or others, to take medications, of favorite TV shows coming on and other routine reminders by always being close by and within easy hearing distance. The low power requirements of this system allows our CareBot to maintain a constant monitoring state for ten hours or more between chargings.
GeckoSPIO™
The GeckoSPIO provides the interface for for all the higher-level software to the low-level/physical systems of the MSR. This includes motor control, power control and sensor systems. The GeckoSPIO is a robust robot control board with hundreds of digital IO pins, dozens of Analog-to-Digital pins and a dozen serial interfaces. It is also readily expandable and extensible with a logical hierarchal architecture and a pair of standard Ethernet ports as the interface to the high-level systems. The seven on board processors and available connections to other processors give the GeckoSPIO the computing power and through-put to read and send the data from hundreds of sensors a second, preform a certain level of sensor fusion tasks and precise motor control.
BaseBot™
GeckoSystems has a standard set of fundamental requirements for what it considers to be necessary technology for a utilitarian MSR called BaseBot Technology. This technology is a collection of minimum needed mechanical, electronic hardware, and software components required for a utilitarian MSR.
Power is one of the requirements for a BaseBot compatible robot platform. The power available must be sufficient to drive the locomotion system, sensors, hardware, and software onboard the platform. A minimum of eight hours battery life of typical operation is necessary to meet the power requirements of the BaseBot standard.
The mechanical requirement of a BaseBot encompasses the drive system and physical build specifications. The drive system must be capable of allowing the robot to traverse a 1.5 inch vertical height. A 100 pound payload capacity is needed to support the typical onboard weight and expandability of the platform.
Sensory requirements are another piece of the BaseBot Technology standard. The sensory requirements are also needed to support the navigational requirements. The type and number of sensors varies according to the operation environment of the MSR. One sensor system is usually not sufficient for the functional requirements of the navigational software and therefore would not meet the BaseBot standard.
Navigation software is the final component of a BaseBot enabled mobile service robot. The navigation software must be able to successfully navigate using the sensory and locomotion system of the platform. Successful navigation includes but is not limited to avoiding dynamic objects in the environment. Additionally, the navigation software must be capable of navigating crowded, moving areas of people and not harm an individual.
GeckoZap™
GeckoZap is a debugging, testing, and calibration utility used for operating the Mobile Service Robot from GeckoSystems, or any other hardware/firmware platform compliant with our standards. This application is a user-interface that allows the developer to manually send the mobile robot commands which would normally be sent automatically by GeckoNav. The user can test functionality of the mobile robot by sending/retrieving data and commanding the Mobile Service Robot's movements. For example, GeckoZap makes the packet assembly and serial transmission transparent to the user by providing a "point-and-click" interface for these operations.
CareBot™
A CareBot™ MSR is built on a BaseBot using GeckoNav, GeckoChat, and GeckoTrak to perform timely and cost effective duties for care givers to better care for their care receivers. GeckoZap is used by the support personnel to perform maintenance on the CareBot . The Consumer Familycare discussion can be accessed here.