A robot system, operable to perform a task, is integrated on a robot with
a sensor, a control module, and a virtual world. The virtual world
represents a generic continuum including a collection of information
replicating the spatial and temporal properties of a number of articles
and related circumstances in an environment of the robot system. As the
virtual world provides a common space-time reference for all of the
articles, including the robot system itself, the robot system may perform
its task in an efficient and robust manner. For example, the robot may
move about its environment without colliding with the other articles.
Further, the virtual world may include predicted information about the
articles, including an anticipated position or condition of the article
at a particular time. In this way, the robot system may perform its task
in a timely manner, since its operations can be synchronized with the
other articles and an idle time may be reduced.
