Locus says its systems are now involved in picking 6 million to 7 million units per day. | Source: Locus Robotics

Locus Robotics Corp. today announced that it has surpassed 3 billion total picks across its global customer deployments. The company reached this milestone just 33 weeks after it recorded its 2 billionth pick. It claimed that the achievement underscores its continued rapid growth and solidifies its position as a leader in autonomous robotics automation for the warehouse. 

The Wilmington, Mass.-based company said its 3 billionth pick was a Carhartt T-shirt. The pick occurred at a Carhartt facility in Hanson, Ky. Just milliseconds later, other items were picked at more than 300 Locus customer sites around the world. 

“Surpassing 3 billion picks across our global deployments is a significant milestone that reflects the trust our customers have placed in our innovative robotics solutions,” stated Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “As we continue to push the boundaries of innovation, we remain focused on our mission to revolutionize the supply chain industry and empower our customers to drive operational efficiencies and productivity gains in order to thrive in an increasingly complex and demanding fulfillment landscape.”

Founded in 2014, Locus Robotics provides autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that collaborate with human pickers to increase warehouse efficiency. Locus serves the retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and third-party logistics (3PL) industries and offers a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model.

Locus continues to ramp up operations

It took nearly seven years for Locus to reach its first billion picks. Since then, the company’s growth has accelerated rapidly. It reached 2 billion picks just 11 months later, and now 3 billion just 33 weeks later. Locus received a 2024 RBR50 award for hitting 2 billion picks. 

“I first saw a demo of the Locus bots the year the company was founded. I instantly understood the potential this system had,” said Steve Banker, vice president of supply chain services at ARC Advisory Group. “Their impressive growth trajectory is a clear indication of the value their proven solutions bring to customers, enabling them to improve productivity, lower costs, and stay ahead of the competition.”

During the 2023 peak holiday season, LocusBots picked more than 331 million units. This is a 66% increase compared with the 2022 peak holiday season. In all of 2023, Locus picked a total of 1.2 billion units, an 82% increase over the previous year. 

As the industry continues to evolve, Locus Robotics said it remains committed to driving innovation and delivering cutting-edge robotics systems that enable its customers to scale and meet growing demand. The company asserted that its focus on research and development ensures it is well-positioned to continue to grow rapidly. 

Despite its growth, Locus has also seen some recent setbacks. In January, the company confirmed it had a “small, targeted RIF,” or reduction in force. It did not specify how many employees were affected by the layoffs. Faulk said that Locus overhired and overestimated how much business it would get after the COVID-19 peak. 

Locus Robotics at the Robotics Summit

Sean Pineau, head of 3PL segments at Locus Robotics, will be speaking at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place on May 1 and 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Pineau will present a session on “AI in the Warehouse: What You Really Need to Know” at 1:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 1. He will discuss the considerations and potential benefits and impacts of implementing AI in the warehouse.

Locus will also take part in the RBR50 Showcase in Booth 448 on the show floor. The showcase will feature current and past RBR50 winners and their innovations. 

The 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo will be the largest ever, according to WTWH Media, which also produces Mobile Robot Guide and The Robot Report. It will include up to 5,000 attendees, more than 200 exhibitors, various networking opportunities, a Women in Robotics breakfast, a career fair, an engineering theater, a startup showcase, and more! Registration is now open for the event.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

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This week, we announced the honorees for the 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards. On the podcast episode this week, the entire The Robot Report editorial staff brings its opinions, observations, and highlights of the 2024 awards program. Host Steve Crowe discusses the awards with editors Mike Oitzman, Eugene Demaitre, and Brianna Wessling.

Listen as the editors discusses some of their favorite robotics companies and products from this cohort of honorees. You’ll learn what impressed the editors about several of the winners and what’s notable in this year’s program.

Digit named Robot of the Year

2023 was the year of humanoids, and Agility Robotics has taken an early lead with commercial trials. The company’s Digit humanoid stole the show at ProMAT, where it demonstrated its ability to pick up totes from a shelf, walk over to a conveyor, and place the totes onto the conveyor.

Autopicker wins Application of the Year

Cincinnati-based Brightpick, which spun out of Photoneo, was named the inaugural Application of the Year winner. In 2023, Brightpick unveiled Autopicker, which it said is the first commercially available AMR that can pick and consolidate orders directly in warehouse aisles.

Electric Sheep is Startup of the Year

San Francisco-based Electric Sheep’s unique business model allows it to bring in revenue as it takes its time deploying its technology. This business model led to it being named Startup of the Year.

Note that the rules for the RBR50 state that innovations have to be announced within the calendar year. Keep that in mind as your organization plans its product roadmap, and be sure to submit your nomination the next iteration of the RBR50 later this year.

Come celebrate at the 2024 RBR50 Gala

We introduced three new categories in 2024 – Robot of the Year, Application of the Year, and Startup of the Year – and will be holding the inaugural RBR50 Gala on May 1 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the end of Day 1 of the Robotics Summit & Expo.

The gala offers a chance to connect with the world’s leading robotics innovators. It’s also an evening of celebration to honor leading roboticists and their impressive achievements.

Tickets to the gala are available through Wednesday, April 17.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

The post Inside the 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards appeared first on The Robot Report.

The FoxBot ATL moves pallets in loading docks for Walmart. Source: Fox Robotics

The word’s biggest retailers are continuing to add automation. Walmart Inc. today announced that it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Fox Robotics Inc. In addition to its initial rollout of 19 FoxBot autonomous forklifts, Walmart has invested growth capital for a minority stake in Fox Robotics.

“At Walmart Distribution Center 6020 in Brooksville, Fla., we’re used to pioneering new technology,” wrote Maurice Gray, general manager for the Walmart distribution center, in a blog post. “In fact, 6020 was Walmart’s first high-tech DC. Once again, innovation is afoot in our facility, where associates have been working alongside a new autonomous forklift system that’s bolstering their skills and bettering their jobs while building our business.”

“After a 16-month proof of concept, I’m proud to announce Walmart is taking another step into the future, rolling 19 autonomous forklifts across four high-tech DCs, with the potential for more as we evaluate the benefits to our associates and operations,” he said. “As our facility has worked with Fox Robotics, the developer of autonomous forklifts, we’ve learned a lot. But I can sum it up easily: Automation isn’t just good for business – it’s good for our associates too.”

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart is the largest private employer in the U.S., according to Statista. The company has worked with other robotics suppliers, and it acquired grocery fulfillment provider Alert Innovation in 2022.

Walmart deploys FoxBots to unload pallets

When trucks arrive at the Brooksville distribution center, Fox Robotics’ Autonomous Trailer Loader/Unloaders (ATLs) use artificial intelligence, machine vision, and dynamic planning to safely and accurately unload pallets, said Gray. The forklifts then move the pallets to be inducted into an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).

Gray likened the warehouse associates’ evolving role to playing Tetris. “Instead of unloading the pallets manually, associates become conductors – considering the best, most efficient way to unload trailers based on their own experience,” he said.

For example, Jose Molina, a 26-year associate, has received training to shift from unloading trucks to managing autonomous lifts and tripling productivity, added Gray.

Walmart said that it could roll out more systems from Fox Robotics, pending the continued performance of the FoxBots.

Fox Robotics pulls ahead in dock robot race

“As the leader in autonomous trailer loading and unloading, Fox Robotics is pleased to deepen its relationship with Walmart as a key customer and investor,” stated Marin Tchakarov, president and CEO of Fox Robotics. “We see this collaboration as the latest massive validation point of our technology and product capabilities, solidifying our leadership position in the warehouse shipping and receiving dock automation space.”

In January, Fox Robotics said its autonomous forklifts had autonomously pulled 2.5 million pallets. Founded in 2017, the company said at the time that its installed fleet had doubled in the prior 12 months and that its revenue nearly tripled between 2022 and 2023.

Austin, Texas-based Fox Robotics also has financial backing from BMW i Ventures and Zebra Technologies Corp., raising $20 million in 2022. Its customers include DHL Supply Chain.

“Fox Robotics has unlocked the final step of the fully end-to-end automated warehouse of the future with its FoxBot autonomous loader/unloader capabilities,” added Till Reuter, board member of Fox Robotics and former CEO of Kuka Robotics. “The logistics space is the single biggest market for automation for the next five to 10 years, and the shipping and receiving dock — the gateway to the warehouse — will see a disproportionate share of that growth due to its virtually entirely unautomated present state.”

Other companies working on automating loading-dock operations include Boston Dynamics, Dexterity, Gideon, Honeywell, Mujin, Pickle Robots, and 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award winner Slip Robotics. See the RBR50 honorees at the RBR50 pavilion and RBR50 Gala at the Robotics Summit & Expo.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

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Collaborative Robotics has been developing a system for trustworthy operations. Source: Adobe Stock, Photoshopped by The Robot Report

Collaborative Robotics today closed a $100 million Series B round on the road to commercializing its autonomous mobile manipulator. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said it is developing robots that can safely and affordably work alongside people in varied manufacturing, supply chain, and healthcare workflows. In many cases, this is the same work that humanoid robots are jockeying for.

Brad Porter, a former distinguished engineer and vice president of robotics at Amazon, founded Collaborative Robotics in 2022. The Cobot team includes robotics and artificial intelligence experts from Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, NASA, Waymo, and more.

“Getting our first robots in the field earlier this year, coupled with today’s investment, are major milestones as we bring cobots with human-level capability into the industries of today,” stated Porter. “We see a virtuous cycle, where more robots in the field lead to improved AI and a more cost-effective supply chain. This funding will help us accelerate getting more robots into the real world.”

The Robot Report caught up with Porter to learn more about the company and its product since our last conversation in July 2023, when Cobot raised its $30 million Series A.

Nothing to see here

Collaborative Robotics has been secretive about the design of its robot. You won’t find any photos of the cobot on the company’s site or anywhere else on the Web yet.

However, Porter told The Robot Report that it is already in trials with several pilot customers, including a global logistics company. He described the machine as a mobile manipulator, with roughly the stature of a human. However, it’s not a humanoid, nor does it have a six degree-of-freedom arm or a hand with fingers.

“When talking about general-purpose robots versus special-purpose robots, we know what humanoids look like, but with a new morphology, we want to protect it for a while,” he said. “We’ve been looking at humanoids for a long time, but in manufacturing, secondary material flow is designed around humans and carts. Hospitals, airports, and stadiums are usually designed around people flow. A huge amount of people is still moving boxes, totes, and carts around the world.”

The new cobot’s base is capable of omnidirectional motion with four wheels and a swerve-drive design, along with a central structure that can acquire, carry, and place totes and boxes around the warehouse. It is just under 6 ft. (2 m) tall and can carry up to 75 lb. (34 kg), said Porter.

The robot can also engage and move existing carts with payloads weighing up to 1,500 lb. (680 kg) around the warehouse. How the robot engages carts remains part of the mystery. But by automating long-distance moves and using existing cart infrastructure, Porter said he believes that the Collaborative Robotics system is differentiated from both mobile robot platforms and humanoid competitors.

“We looked at use cases for humanoids at Amazon, but you don’t actually want the complexity of a humanoid; you want something that’s stable and could move faster than people,” Porter added. “There are orders of magnitude more mobile robots than humanoids in day-to-day use, and at $300,000 to $600,000 per robot, the capital to build the first 10 humanoids is very high. We want to get robots into the field faster.”

Collaborative Robotics has kept its actual robot out of public view. | Source: Adobe Stock image Photoshopped by The Robot Report

Robots must be trustworthy

Porter said that he “believes that robots need to be trustworthy, in addition to being safe. This philosophy is driving the design and user-interface decisions that the company has made so far. Users need to understand what the robot should do by looking at it, unlike some of the existing designs of mobile robots currently on the market.”

In addition to a human-centered design approach, Collaborative Robotics is using off-the-shelf parts to reduce the robot bill of materials cost and simplify the supply chain as it begins the process of commercialization. It is also taking a “building-block” approach to hardware and plans to adjust software and machine learning for navigation and learning new tasks.

“The robot we’ve designed is 70% off-the-shelf parts, and we can design around existing motors, while every humanoid company is hand-winding its own motors to find advanced actuation capabilities,” Porter noted. “We designed the system digitally, so we don’t have to hand-tweak a bunch of things. By using 3D lidar, we know the state of the art of the technology, and it’s easier to safety-qualify.”

With large language models (LLMs), Porter said he sees the day when someone in a hospital or another facility can just tell a robot to go away. “It’s about user interaction rather than just safety, which is table stakes,” he said. “We think a lot about trustworthiness.”

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

Collaborative Robotics preps for commercialization

General Catalyst led Collaborative Robotics’ Series B round, with participation from Bison Ventures, Lux Capital, and Industry Ventures. Existing investors Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Mayo Clinic, Neo, 1984 Ventures, MVP Ventures, and Calibrate Ventures also participated.

Since its founding in 2022, Cobot said it has raised more than $140 million. The company plans to grow its headcount from 35, adding production, sales, and support staffers.

In addition, Collaborative Robotics announced that Teresa Carlson will be joining it as an advisor on go to market at scale and industry transformation. She held leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Splunk, and Flexport.

“I’m super-excited to be working with Teresa,” said Porter. “We’ve kept up since Amazon, and she thinks a lot about digital transformation at a very large scale — federal government and industry. She brings a wealth of knowledge about economics that will elevate the scope of what we’re doing.”

Paul Kwan, managing director at General Catalyst, is joining Alfred Lin from Sequoia on Collaborative Robotics’ board of directors. 

“In our view, Brad and Cobot are spearheading the future of human-robot interaction,” said Kwan. “We believe the Cobot team is world-class at building the necessary hardware, software, and institutional trust to achieve their vision.”

Editor’s note: Eugene Demaitre contributed to this article.

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2023 was the year that humanoid robots took big strides onto the public stage, and Agility Robotics pulled ahead in that race with Digit, which is our first-ever RBR50 Robot of the Year.

At ProMAT last year, Digit stole the show by demonstrating its ability to pick up totes from a shelf, walk over to a conveyor, and place the totes onto the conveyor. At the time, Corvallis, Ore.-based Agility Robotics said the demo was based on a real customer use case.

Later in 2023, the company announced pilots with two major customers: Amazon and GXO Logistics, which claims to be the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider. Digit is 5 ft., 9 in (175cm) tall, weighs 143 lb. (64.8 kg), and can carry up to 35 lb. (18 kg).

In October, Amazon and Agility said the humanoid robot was being tested at Amazon’s robotics research and development facility outside of Seattle. The initial use of Digit is to help employees with tote recycling, a highly repetitive process of picking up and moving empty totes once inventory has been completely picked out of them.

In December 2023, GXO announced that Digit is being tested for logistics tasks at a SPANX facility in Georgia. Digit is moving totes filled with products off of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and onto a conveyor. Agility said at the time that Digit will communicate with the AMR fleet manager in the future.

Adrian Stoch, chief automation officer at GXO, said Digit’s potential flexibility gives it a nod over other types of robots, including AMRs with top modules.

“The real application here is end-to-end product flow throughout the warehouse,” he said. “Until now, solutions have been mostly discrete applications: goods-to-person, sorters, wearable tech. Solving discrete problems in one part of the puzzle.”

For companies operating fulfillment centers with a wide product mix or fluctuating demand, the potential flexibility of humanoids could help fill the ongoing labor crisis.

Agility Robotics recently launched Agility Arc, a cloud platform for managing operations, and it partnered with warehouse management systems (WMS) provider Manhattan Associates.

We’ve never seen a humanoid perform real tasks in a commercial setting, until now. Humanoids have long been relegated to research labs, but the goalposts began to seismically shift in 2023.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

See Agility at the Robotics Summit

Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer at Agility Robotics, will be keynoting the Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place May 1 and 2 in Boston and is produced by The Robot Report and parent company WTWH Media. His talk, “Humanoid Robots Get to Work,” will explore the technological breakthroughs propelling humanoids like Digit into real-world use cases.

Agility Robotics will also be featured in the show’s RBR50 Showcase. Visit Booth 448 on the show floor to see Digit in action. The showcase will also feature technology from Boston Dynamics, Brightpick, Locus Robotics, and more.

You can also learn more about Agility Robotics and the rest of this year’s RBR50 award winners at the first-ever RBR50 Gala. At 6:00 p.m. EDT after Day 1 of the show, the ticketed reception will allow attendees to network with the people behind this year’s most innovative robots.

Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit & Expo.

The post Agility Robotics’ Digit wins inaugural Robot of the Year award appeared first on The Robot Report.

The fourth installment of the Automated Warehouse research series captures market sentiment about stationary robots. | Credit: WTWH Media

Warehouse operators are grappling with a formidable challenge in the fast-paced logistics world: a severe shortage of available labor. With the increasing demand for operational efficiency, the optimization of warehouse processes has become an imperative rather than simply an objective.

In this fourth session of our Automated Warehouse webinar series, we will explore the current state of stationary robotics, specifically examining how these systems are being integrated with human workers through smart controls. Attendees will learn valuable insights derived from recent bespoke research conducted directly with warehouse operators.

Stationary robots can be found in various workflows, performing a diverse array of tasks. To better understand what kinds of systems are being used in fulfillment operations, distribution centers, and warehouses, we asked respondents about their stationary robot setups. The responses from these participants provide a snapshot of the state of the market.

The session is targeted at robotics OEMs, systems integrators, and warehouse operators. This webinar will be the last in this initial series of research projects that started with mobile robotics and then dug into the digitization of warehouse workflows, and how fixed conveyance is being used today.

The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will share approaches and examples with warehouse operators seeking to modernize and gain better control over workflows. Attendees will learn more about the following:

Insights from market research: Our experts have conducted a fresh market survey, uncovering the latest trends and developments in warehouse technology. By attending this webinar, you’ll gain exclusive access to this research, providing you with a competitive edge in the industry.

Q&A: You will have an opportunity to have your burning questions answered live.

Register now to save your spot and stay current on the market trends.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

The post Tune in to Automated Warehouse webinar on stationary robots, smart controls appeared first on The Robot Report.

Kiwibot will add intellectual property from AUTO Mobility Solutions to its delivery robot portfolio. Source: Kiwibot

Consolidation among mobile robot providers is not limited to warehouses. Kiwibot today announced that it has acquired AUTO Mobility Solutions Co.

“This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in both companies’ journeys towards innovation and safeguarding privacy in the robotics industry, particularly for intelligent robots sourced from China and deployed in the Western markets,” Kiwibot stated.

“The acquisition of AUTO is a game-changer for us, bringing a wealth of technological innovation and a strong patent portfolio that will significantly enhance our cybersecurity measures for AI-powered robotics,” asserted Felipe Chavez, founder and CEO of Kiwibot. “This move not only strengthens our position in the market, but also connects the manufacturing expertise from Asia with the AI development in the West securely.”

Kiwibot develops delivery robots

Berkeley, Calif.-based Kiwibot has developed autonomous robots using artificial intelligence. The company claimed that it is a market leader of robotic deliveries on U.S. college campuses.

Since 2017, Kiwibot said it has successfully deployed robots across the U.S., Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. In 2020, it raised pre-seed funding and was an early guest on The Robot Report Podcast. It raised $10 million for deliveries as a service (DaaS) in December 2023.

“Kiwibot is actively exploring opportunities to expand our robotic delivery services beyond college campuses,” Chavez told The Robot Report. “We will soon announce customers in two different categories.”

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

AUTO brings cybersecurity expertise

“Becoming a part of Kiwibot opens up new avenues for our technologies and patents,” noted Sming Liao, CEO of AUTO Mobility Solutions. “Together, we are poised to redefine the landscape of autonomous delivery services, ensuring greater security and efficiency.”

The Taipei, Taiwan-based company was incubated by ALi Corp. and develops integrated circuit (IC) chips for AI, self-driving vehicles, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cybersecurity. Its systems feature advanced path planning, positioning, and obstacle-avoidance technology.

AUTO Mobility Solutions has built a patent portfolio in AI, IoT, and cybersecurity in Taipei. Source: Kiwibot

AUTO said its team will add more than 100 licensed patents to Kiwibot’s offerings.

“Our decision to join forces was solidified after recognizing the complementary nature of our technologies and the potential for a synergistic relationship,” said Chavez. “One of our investors from Taiwan introduced us, and we started the relationship as a customer for a custom cybersecurity chip.”

“The acquisition strategically positions us to bolster our cybersecurity infrastructure, especially considering the rising interest in AI and its associated vulnerabilities,” he added. “Together, Kiwibot and AUTO are looking to develop enhanced capabilities in autonomous navigation, AI-powered decision making, and advanced cybersecurity measures.”

Acquisition to expand global presence

The companies also said the acquisition will help the merged entity deliver leading systems globally and meet the evolving needs of both businesses and consumers.

“AUTO’s established presence in Taiwan and Shenzhen [China] will play a crucial role in helping Kiwibot navigate geopolitical and supply chain challenges,” explained Chavez. “Their expertise and strategic locations will aid in diversifying our supply chain and providing stability in our manufacturing and development processes, ensuring Kiwibot’s continued growth and scalability.”

Felipe Chavez, CEO of Kiwibot (left), and Sming Liao, CEO of AUTO (right). Source: Kiwibot

Kiwibot is still evaluating consolidation and rebranding, he told The Robot Report.

“The Taipei team will maintain a high degree of autonomy to leverage their specialized expertise and local knowledge effectively. While we are unified in our mission and strategy, we recognize the importance of fostering innovation through autonomous operations,” Chavez said. “We are currently evaluating how best to integrate our brands to reflect our unified strength while honoring the established identity and contributions of AUTO’s team.”

What are Kiwibot’s plans for the near future?

“Looking forward, Kiwibot’s roadmap includes the continuous improvement of our autonomous delivery robots, the expansion of our service areas, and the integration of AUTO’s technological advancement,” Chavez replied. “We are committed to pioneering the future of robotic services and ensuring a seamless and secure experience for our users. Stay tuned for exciting updates as we progress on this journey.”

The post Kiwibot acquires AUTO to strengthen delivery robot security appeared first on The Robot Report.

Agility Arc is a cloud-based platform for managing fleets of humanoids. Source: Agility Robotics

Agility Robotics made a couple of strategic moves this week as it continues to commercialize its Digit humanoid. Let’s start with the good news.

Agility is partnering with Manhattan Associates, a global leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. There are a lot of warehouse management systems (WMS) on the market, but as one source told The Robot Report, Manhattan Associates is “the standard bearer when it comes to large 3PL operations.”

Agility is joining the Manhattan Value Partner (MVP) program and the Manhattan Automation Network for warehouse automation providers. Manhattan and Agility will integrate Digit and Agility Arc, the company’s new fleet management software introduced at MODEX 2024, with the Manhattan Active Warehouse Management solution.

WMS integration an important step for Digit

Integrating new tools with existing systems can be challenging for warehouse operators. Ensuring compatibility with the industry-leading WMS is an important first step for Digit.

“Digit is already the world’s only bipedal robot currently delivering useful work for customers, increasing productivity and safety while helping workers with difficult and repetitive tasks in warehouse and manufacturing operations,” stated Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics. “We’re thrilled to partner with Manhattan to streamline adoption of Agility’s solutions into existing best practices and bring Digit to more warehouses around the world.”

Manhattan Associates said Agility is the first humanoid to join both the MVP and the Manhattan Automation Network. Manhattan has similar partnerships with Exotec, a provider of automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) and Locus Robotics, the leading developer of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

“Companies are under enormous pressure to deliver more products faster and more efficiently, while facing massive and growing labor shortages,” said Eric Lamphier, senior director of alliances for Manhattan Associates. “Innovative robotics solutions, like Digit, can help fill those gaps, connecting islands of automation and improving operational efficiency.”

“We’re proud to be the first WMS provider to partner with a humanoid robotics provider,” he added. “Together, Agility and Manhattan are making it easy for customers to integrate cutting-edge technology, like Digit and Agility Arc, into their warehouse workflows.”

Agility Arc is a new cloud-based platform designed to give customers better control and insight into their Digit humanoids. Users can monitor the status and performance of each Digit, create workcells and workflows, and assign new tasks to the robots.

Agility Robotics also now offers a few accessories for the Arc platform, including a charging dock, a control pendant, and a workcell that comes with guarding, e-stops, monitored entrances, and more. Since there are no safety standards yet for humanoids, these robots will need to be caged off as they initially make their way into the world.

Agility Robotics lays off staff

Now for the bad news. Agility laid off an unspecified number of employees yesterday. Now-former employees posted about the layoffs on social media, and The Robot Report confirmed the reduction in staff. The company sent the following statement:

“As part of Agility’s ongoing efforts to structure the company for success, we have parted ways with a small number of employees that were not central to core product development and commercialization. At the same time, we are focused on meeting the extraordinary demand for bipedal robots across industrial use cases. That means ramping up production of Digit while continuing to win top-tier global customers, and adding new roles that meet these goals. We believe today’s actions will allow us to focus on the areas that drive productization, commercialization, and production of Digit.”

Johnson was named CEO of Agility Robotics one month ago. The veteran technology leader most recently served as CEO of Magic Leap, which produces augmented reality headsets. She led the company’s shift from consumer to enterprise and helped recapitalize the company.

Before Magic Leap, Johnson spent six years as executive vice president of business development at Microsoft. She reported directly to CEO Satya Nadella and was responsible for driving strategic partnerships and transactions to accelerate growth for the company and its customers.

Agility Robotics co-founder Damion Shelton, who served as CEO since the company’s founding in 2015, is now the company’s president and part of Johnson’s leadership team.

Humanoid robot race continues to accelerate

As we’ve said repeatedly over the past year, the humanoid race is heating up. And moves like this partnership with Manhattan, coupled with its fleet management system, show that Agility is the humanoid developer most ready to take on real-world work. The company has piloted its Digit humanoid with Amazon and GXO Logistics.

There are several other humanoid developers entering early pilots with customers. Figure recently raised $675 million and is working with BMW. And Apptronik is working with Mercedes-Benz.

Of course, all these humanoids still need to prove their reliability. NVIDIA is trying to help with its new foundation model for humanoids, called GR00T, that is designed to bring robotics and embodied AI together.

Accenture is also getting in on the action. Last week, it announced a strategic investment in Sanctuary AI, which is developing the Phoenix humanoid. The amount of the funding was not disclosed.

“AI-powered humanoid robots are essential to reinventing work and supporting human workers as labor shortage is becoming an issue in many countries and industries,” said Accenture.

You can learn more about the state of humanoids at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place May 1-2 in Boston and is produced by The Robot Report and parent company WTWH Media.

Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer of Agility Robotics, will deliver a keynote called “Humanoid Robots Get to Work.” It will explore the technological breakthroughs propelling humanoids like Digit into real-world use cases. Attendees can learn about the ongoing challenges and opportunities and will go inside Digit’s first pilots.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

The post Agility Robotics partners with leading WMS provider, cuts staff appeared first on The Robot Report.

Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report this past month. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter or listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay updated on the latest technology developments.

10. Robotics Engineering Career Fair to connect candidates, employers at Robotics Summit

The career fair will draw from the general robotics and artificial intelligence community, as well as from attendees at the Robotics Summit & Expo. Past co-located career fairs have drawn more than 800 candidates, and MassRobotics said it expects even more people at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this year. Read More

9. SMC adds grippers for cobots from Universal Robots

SMC recently introduced a series of electric grippers designed to be used with collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots. Available in basic and longitudinal types, SMC said the LEHR series can be adapted to different industrial environments like narrow spaces. Read More

8. Anyware Robotics announces new add-on for Pixmo unloading robots

Anyware Robotics announced in March 2024 an add-on for its Pixmo robot for truck and container unloading. The patent-pending accessory includes a vertical lift with a conveyor belt that is attached to Pixmo between the robot and the boxes to be unloaded. Read More

7. Accenture invests in humanoid maker Sanctuary AI in March 2024

In its Technology Vision 2024 report, Accenture said 95% of the executives it surveyed agreed that “making technology more human will massively expand the opportunities of every industry.” Well, Accenture put its money where its mouth is. Accenture Ventures announced a strategic investment in Sanctuary AI, one of the companies developing humanoid robots. Read More

6. Cambrian Robotics obtains seed funding to provide vision for complex tasks

Machine vision startup Cambrian Robotics Ltd. has raised $3.5 million in seed+ funding. The company said it plans to use the investment to continue developing its AI platform to enable robot arms “to surpass human capabilities in complex vision-based tasks across a variety of industries.” Read More

5. Mobile Industrial Robots launches MiR1200 autonomous pallet jack

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are among the systems benefitting from the latest advances in AI. Mobile Industrial Robots at LogiMAT in March 2024 launched the MiR1200 Pallet Jack, which it said uses 3D vision and AI to identify pallets for pickup and delivery “with unprecedented precision.” Read More

4. Reshape Automation aims to reduce barriers of robotics adoption

Companies in North America bought 31,159 robots in 2023. That’s a 30% decrease from 2022. And that’s not sitting well with robotics industry veteran Juan Aparicio. After working at Siemens for a decade and stops at Ready Robotics and Rapid Robotics, Aparicio hopes his new startup Reshape Automation can chip away at this problem. Read More

3. Mercedes-Benz testing Apollo humanoid

Apptronik announced that leading automotive brand Mercedes-Benz is testing its Apollo humanoid robot. As part of the agreement, Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz will collaborate on identifying applications for Apollo in automotive settings. Read More

2. NVIDIA announces new robotics products at GTC 2024

The NVIDIA GTC 2024 keynote kicked off like a rock concert in San Jose, Calif. More than 15,000 attendees filled the SAP Arena in anticipation of CEO Jensen Huang’s annual presentation of the latest product news from NVIDIA. He discussed the new Blackwell platform, improvements in simulation and AI, and all the humanoid robot developers using the company’s technology. Read More

1. Schneider Electric unveils new Lexium cobots at MODEX 2024

In Atlanta, Schneider Electric announced the release of two new collaborative robots: the Lexium RL 3 and RL 12, as well as the Lexium RL 18 model coming later this year. From single-axis machines to high-performance, multi-axis cobots, the Lexium line enables high-speed motion and control of up to 130 axes from one processor, said the company. It added that this enables precise positioning to help solve manufacturer production, flexibility, and sustainability challenges. Read More

The post Top 10 robotics news stories of March 2024 appeared first on The Robot Report.

OmniOn supports multiple technologies, including robotics. Click here to enlarge. Source: OmniOn Power

As delivery robots and autonomous vehicles spread, much of the design and development attention has focused on safe navigation and obstacle detection, according to OmniOn Power Inc. However, they will also require reliable charging and communications infrastructure, it said.

“We’ve mainly seen mobile robots indoors in factories, warehouses, or even restaurants,” said Gopal Mitra, global segment leader for industrials at OmniOn. “2023 was a big year for cost optimization for robotics companies. They tried to address space challenges and labor shortages in e-commerce, and power supply for delivery robots outdoors is another real challenge.”

“We look at three basic technologies: cloud and edge computing, which need to be supported by 5G, and power,” he told The Robot Report. “OmniOn Power addresses high-voltage DC, outdoor installations, and products for onboard robotics, including mounted power that should be able to work with fluctuating voltages as batteries deplete.”

OmniOn spun out of ABB

Formerly known as ABB Power Conversion, AcBel Polytech Inc. acquired the division in July 2023 and renamed it OmniOn Power Inc. in October.

The Plano, Texas-based company gained telecommunications experience as a part of Bell Labs and was part of General Electric Co. and ABB Ltd. OmniOn claimed that its “reliable products, industry expertise, and partnerships are helping customers realize the full potential of 5G, supporting expansive data center demands, [and] powering Industry 4.0.”

“Our business has grown in the robotics space, partly because of the lack of innovation as a lot of folks focused on scaling up rather than introducing new designs,” Mitra said. “Channels are trying to adopt the right robots for ‘order online, pick up at store,’ direct fulfillment, and warehouses. The increasing amount of returns is also a big concern, and we’re addressing a $500 million portion of the total addressable market by optimizing for the cost of development and implementation.”

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

Power innovations to enable autonomy

Batteries add weight to robots and drones, and they can be affected by extreme cold. OmniOn said that more innovation is needed.

“There are two schools of thought for batteries — they could be long-lasting, or you can go with capacitors,” said Mitra. “As for the environment, there’s the harmonics on the grid and temperature, which can be up to 120 to 130 degrees [Fahrenheit; 48.8 to 54.4 Celsius] in places like Dallas.”

“Cold is more of an issue on the battery side than the internals, where the 2% heat generated is usually enough to keep power electronics warm,” he added. “We’re looking at the optimal time to charge, as well as discharge and weight.”

“There have been a number of innovations in batteries,” Mitra noted. “Lithium-ion is very popular in robotics and electric vehicles, and sodium-ion and other polymers are being explored. How U.S. investment in the semiconductor industry responds to China’s prevalence will also affect innovation in the next 10 years. Some are now looking at vertical stacking for denser chips.”

“OmniOn already has engineers working on providing power supplies to telecom and 5G networks,” he said. “We’re enablers of autonomy.”

OmniOn is working on providing power and connectivity to delivery and warehouse robots. Source: Adobe Stock

Other considerations for robotics

Ways to increase robot uptime include hot-swappable batteries, software that directs opportunistic recharging, and persistent wired or wireless charging on embedded grids, mostly indoors.

“Cost is a big deal — wireless charging is usually near-field using inductive charging, which is very attractive for many robots but can be expensive,” said Mitra. “With contact-based charging, you don’t need a converter circuit onboard the robot.”

By contrast, farming equipment or robotic lawnmowers can have wireless docking, eliminating the risk of clippings getting into contacts, he said. Wireless charging pads throughout a warehouse or factory have a high installation cost but can reduce the weight of batteries and operational costs. All of these options require industry consensus to become more widespread, Mitra observed.

How much can fleet management software help with power?

“It depends on the type of fleet,” replied Mitra. “We’re maturing simple routing within the constraints of restaurants, but delivery robots and vehicles have variable package loads. On the software side, we’ll see the impact of artificial intelligence on warehouse management, from machine vision to order processing.” 

Mitra also said that distributed power generation from photovoltaic cells could change the cost of energy.

“There are lots of opportunities to improve overall efficiency, but it’s a chicken-and-egg problem — first, the application has to come,” he said. “In hardware, non-isolated board-mounted products are emerging.”

5G to play a role as edge/cloud computing shifts

“For delivery robots, most of the compute is onboard, with nearby 5G hubs enabling mesh networks,” Mitra explained. “Edge computing needs to be supported by a 5G backbone, and peer-to-peer networks can manage the load.”

While robots and autonomous vehicles (AVs) need onboard processing for a spatial understanding of their environments and to navigate complex surroundings, the delivery function and reporting would benefit from 5G, he said.

“Look at certain regions in San Francisco — AVs are limited to certain areas, where the routes are largely pre-programmed,” said Mitra. “Once we see a prevalence of 5G and edge computing, machine learning for transport will be more scalable.”

“We have an engagement with a robotics company working with a major retailer on managing inventory and goods-to-person materials handling in the warehouse. Multi-tenant warehouses are coming,” Mitra said. “In addition to automated storage and retrieval systems [ASRS], we’re looking at multi-robot scenarios in the parking lot for groceries.”

The BPS 48V stackable power system is designed for 5G systems. Source: OmniOn

AI, humanoids could create new demands

Growing interest in applying generative AI to robotics will also affect networking and power demands.

“They’re not talked about yet in the context of on-premise or edge computing, but it will be interesting to see if delivery robots get these capabilities,” Mitra said. “AI has helped industry understand the need for high-performance computing, which has put a lot of pressure on power-supply manufacturers for smaller, more efficient systems.”

Similarly, interest in mobile manipulation and the humanoid form factor will also intensify pressure on compute and power management.

“Even if you just put an articulated robot arm on a mobile base, stepper motors require eight times the current to start, just to change from static to movement,” said Mitra.

“We still don’t have a good solution for batteries that can support humanoids for the long term,” he asserted. “They’ll also need a power train that can handle a wide range of discharge, from walking to the necessary strength for lifting boxes.”

OmniOn said it expects the demand for delivery robots, automated warehouses, and connected infrastructure to grow at 12% to 14%. Power management may not be standardized, depending on the size of a robot and its number of sensors, and edge/cloud computing and different charging approaches will continue to evolve, said Mitra. 

“We’re excited see how wireless charging affects the robotics space,” he said. “While the cost has led to different adoption than initially expected, in the long term, the cost of infrastructure could be lower, and it could be more easily managed.”

The post OmniOn looks to power, network next-gen delivery robots appeared first on The Robot Report.

3PL expert Sean Pineau will share his insights into automation and AI in the warehouse. Source: Locus Robotics

Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize robotics and industries including supply chain and logistics. For all of the hype around generative AI, robotics developers, integrators, and warehouse operators need to separate the facts from fiction. At the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo, Locus Robotics will offer some help in demystifying AI in the warehouse.

Sean Pineau, head of third-party logistics (3PL) segments at Locus Robotics, will present a session on “AI in the Warehouse: What You Really Need to Know” at 1:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 1. He will discuss the considerations and potential benefits and impacts of implementing AI in the warehouse.

Pineau will also explain what “embodied AI” is, what is and is not AI, and how warehouse managers can optimize their operations with AI and robotics.

Sean Pineau, Locus Robotics

Speaker to discuss robots and AI in the warehouse

Pineau has a decade’s experience in leadership roles in the materials handling industry. He said his time at Dematic and Crown Equipment Corp. provided a deep understanding of automation.

In 2021, Pineau became an account executive focusing on the retail vertical market at Locus Robotics. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company is a leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

In recognition of his results-driven approach, relentless dedication, and strategic acumen, Locus recently appointed Pineau as head of 3PL segments.

About the Robotics Summit & Expo

The 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo will be the largest ever, according to WTWH Media, which also produces Mobile Robot Guide and The Robot Report. The event will be at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on May 1 and 2.

It will include up to 5,000 attendees, more than 200 exhibitors, various networking opportunities, a Women in Robotics breakfast, a career fair, an engineering theater, a startup showcase, and more!

New to the summit is the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala. It will include a cocktail hour, a plated dinner, photo opportunities, and the chance to hear from the Robot of the Year, Startup of the Year, and Application of the Year winners.

Each RBR50 winner will receive two complimentary tickets to the Robotics Summit and RBR50 gala. A limited number of tickets is available to attendees, but they’re selling fast!

The Robotics Summit will be co-located with DeviceTalks, an event focused on medical devices, and the inaugural Digital Transformation Forum. Registration is now open for the event.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

The post Separate fact from fiction about AI in the warehouse at the Robotics Summit appeared first on The Robot Report.

RightHand Robotics Inc. has hit the ground running in 2024. Earlier this year, it released RightPick 4, an upgraded version of its piece-picking system that can handle items up to 25% larger and 50% heavier than RightPick 3.

The Charlestown, Mass.-based company worked closely with integration partner Vanderlande on many of the new features in RightPick 4. The companies’ close partnership is key to both successful deployments and future technology development, according to David Schwebel, head of sales and strategic business development at RightHand, and Jake Heldenberg, North American head of solution design for warehousing at Vanderlande.

The Robot Report caught up with Schwebel, Heldenberg, and Paul Eyre, RightHand’s director of channel sales, at MODEX last week. They shared insights on industry trends, RightPick’s latest capabilities, and more.

End users approach robotics differently this year

So, how has the show been for you?

Schwebel: This is probably the best-attended MODEX ever, and it’s actually even better than ProMAT last year.

What we’re hearing is that we’ve gone past moments of inspiration and education. We’re in the engagement phase. Quite often, the people that are coming by are saying, “I already trust what I see. I’ve seen the Vanderlande SIR system. I wanted to see the new features and things that you’re doing at RightHand. Now how can I engage further?”

We’re seeing great experiences and great collaborations. So, now it’s all about taking their information, understanding their workflows, and finding the right individuals to bring it across to you.

They sold more than 44,000 rooms in Atlanta this year, which was about 25% larger than it was at MODEX two years ago. And with all that, they’re expecting more than 50,000 to 56,000 people to walk through the halls. 

Eyre: I’m just coming up for air to be honest, which is great. What I’m seeing in my conversations is that customers are now expressing a level of trust in the technology. They’re moving from exploration into engagement with the technology, and they really want to start adopting the technology.

I think they’re also starting to get into the technology, so they can maybe instruct their integrators that “These are the types of technologies we’d like to use and we’d like you to adopt.” So, now they’re becoming far more educated and involved in the decision-making process rather than leaving that to integration partners.

And that’s great for us because they come to us, and we’re able to generate leads and give them to our integrators first. I’ve had conversation after conversation with end users saying, “OK, it’s time to do this. Now show me where this has been installed previously. Show me how I can employ these technologies effectively in my solution.”

Schwebel: We’re often hearing that customers held back on investments over the past three years, and they’re finally at a place where they have to refresh their existing environments.

So, between the availability of the capital, the interest, and the engagement, we’re experiencing trust with the product. They see it’s de-risked. They see going through the integrator environment is absolutely the right thing to do. And they’re replicating what they did about seven to 10 years ago. So, we’re in that great crux of “It’s time to engage and engage fast.”

While Vanderlande doesn’t have a booth, how has it been being all over the show?

Heldenberg: The funny thing is, I’ve actually had more engagement this year without a booth. A lot of times, you bring in your current customers or customers you’re already working with.

Walking the show has been really interesting. The questions I’m getting are more specific, and people are saying, “Hey, I’m ready to invest.”

Last year, it was very exploratory. People came here trying to figure out all these new technologies, what’s going to benefit them. And now, each time I run into a customer it’s like, “Hey, we’re ready. We need to move.”

So it has been a very interesting change and shift for me also, just being able to walk and see all the new technologies. If we had a booth, I wouldn’t have a lot of time to walk around. I’ve been able to go take a look at all the different new technologies — some more exciting than others, to be pretty blunt about it. 

What has been some of the more exciting stuff?

Heldenberg: We’ve seen autonomous crane robots, or ACRs, come along, and the AMR [autonomous mobile robot] technology has come up. I see that when it comes to flexibility.

ACR isn’t going to wow you [throughput-wise] yet against a shuttle system. But on a low-capacity system, [it offers] flexibility and the lack of a single point of failure. I see that is really the next technology that’s going to take off as far as ASRS [automated storage and retrieval systems] goes. That’s what I’ve been most impressed by. In years past, you’d see it, and it’d still look a little clunky, there were still stability issues. All of that is getting resolved.

Item-picking issues we saw last year are already getting resolved. So this year, even with RightHand, the new gripper is a lot better and a lot more advanced. All these new technologies that have sprung up over the past five years are becoming more stable and more robust. And for me, I see nothing but opportunity, especially for the customers.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

What potential customers are looking for

When these customers approach you, what kinds of metrics are they really interested in hitting?

Eyre: For me, it’s throughput, throughput, throughput when it comes to robotics. They’re interested in whether the technology available today can match or exceed the performance of a human. I’m not saying that’s always the case, but the technology is improving to a level where it’s coming up to those levels of matching human performance. 

This makes things very, very interesting for them, because it addresses the issues of labor availability and retention, which are causing a lot of heartburn. It’s becoming acute in a lot of geographies.

Heldenberg: Five years ago, the technology and vision systems were not quite where they needed to be. Like 50% of SKUs were inaccessible. But now, that we’ve seen more things, especially when it comes to small boxes or odd-shaped items, can be picked successfully.

The system can prove it can be consistent over a 16-hour shift. So, the business case is clearly there. A robot doesn’t take a break. It doesn’t need to go to the bathroom.

So what we’re seeing as a level of investment now is people saying, “I want to buy one or two or three of these bots. Let’s put them in and have stations that are prepped and ready because once we prove it on those first few booths, I want them into half of the stations.” So performance is important, but it’s also performance that’s sustained through an entire shift.

Eyre: The range has increased substantially. Picking a large range reliably really lends itself to an increase in autonomy. That means a lack of intervention or reduction of human intervention to resolve exceptions within the robot station is increasing and improving substantially year over year.

You need very, very few humans to support a fleet of robots. So autonomy is something that you have to have KPIs [key performance indicators] for earlier on, and something they’re measuring is the level of human intervention or autonomy.

RightHand shows off RightPick 4 at MODEX

What are some of the improvements in RightPick 4, and has RightHand Robotics gotten a lot of interest in it?

Schwebel: So, effectively through collaboration through both our system integrators coming into our roadmap and some work that we did with Staples, we packaged that all together into a full released product.

This newly released platform allows us to handle items that are 50% heavier, so up to 3 kg or 7.2 lb. without a problem. The range of items that we’re able to handle [has grown]. Now, we’re able to do polybags and apparel. This allows us to handle more than 70% of all the different types of items available in omni-retail and e-commerce.

We’re able to expand the size and range of the setup. The new type of cameras that we have allow us to have a greater environment space to work in. So, if I wanted to have more open borders at the same site at the same time, we could. It’s more frictionless for the system integrators. It literally is an idea where you can have it arrive on-site and four hours later, it’s installed.

We asked Vanderlande to join our booth, where we want to show a consistent workflow loop among multiple stations for its customers, from multipack detection to suction-cup swapping, as well as industrial cameras and spacing. We’re hardening our technologies to make them frictionless for customers.

Can you give some insights about RightPick 4 from the integrator side of things?

Heldenberg: So, as far as RightPick 4, we’re excited about it, that’s what I can say. One of the greatest things about working with RightHand in particular is that when we come to RightHand with a challenge, they really step up.

We have fashion customers, and ultimately they were challenging us and saying, “Hey, we need to automate more. We need to figure out how we can improve productivity, we have labor challenges, and we can’t hire enough people, especially during peak season.’

And so we challenged RightHand point-blank and said, “Hey, this is a challenge for us, and we haven’t found anyone who can really successfully complete the task of automating fashion item picking.”

We also came back with bisected totes, and RightHand immediately began working on the problem. We’re looking at unique ways to pair item picking with new technologies and adaptive sequences. For ASRS, software must be able to split orders, sending some to manual stations.

Ultimately, RightHand stepped up to the plate, and you can see a lot of innovation in RightPick 4 and also in the software and vision system improvements across the board. So now we are much more comfortable going into these fashion customers.

With RightPick 4 and a lot of the innovation, we appreciate it because we know it comes from the challenges that we and many others bring to RightHand. And that’s where I saw RightPick 4 is a great example of all of those challenges culminating together into a good solution.

The post RightHand Robotics and Vanderlande discuss industry trends, RightPick 4 at MODEX appeared first on The Robot Report.

Host Steve Crowe attended MODEX 2024 in Atlanta GA. In this episode, we talk about the innovative robotics solutions that he experienced at the show and capture his feedback on what was happening during the week, and some of the trends for robotics and automation in the warehouse and logistics space.

In the news this week

• Apptonik at Mercedes Benz
  • Apptronik announced that leading automotive brand Mercedes-Benz is testing its Apollo humanoid robot. As part of the agreement, Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz will collaborate on identifying applications for Apollo in automotive settings.
• Waymo starts fully driverless testing in LA
  • Waymo announced in October that LA would be its next ride-hailing city, after rolling out its services in San Francisco, Phoenix, and the Phoenix suburbs.
• Zoox expands services in Las Vegas
  • Still only serving employees and select beta customers while on a path to eventually open to the public.

The post MODEX 2024 Recap appeared first on The Robot Report.

NVIDIA provided new AI capabilities for the MiR1200 Pallet Jack. Source: Mobile Industrial Robots

Autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, are among the systems benefitting from the latest advances in artificial intelligence. Mobile Industrial Robots A/S today at LogiMAT launched the MiR1200 Pallet Jack, which it said uses 3D vision and AI to identify pallets for pickup and delivery “with unprecedented precision.”

“The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is our latest effort to push the boundaries in autonomous material handling,” stated Mads Paulin, vice president of research and development at MiR. “We believe that the built-in AI detection system is a significant improvement over older detection technologies.”

“Our approach will reduce pick-and-place cycle times, deliver best-in-class pick accuracy, and allow us to continuously deliver advanced, AI-based functionality and value to our customers,” he claimed.

Why now for the MiR1200 Pallet Jack?

With numerous other AMRs, autonomous forklifts, and semi-autonomous pallet jacks already on the market, why did Mobile Industrial Robots decide to develop one now?

“We announced our intention to create an autonomous pallet jack in 2021,” said Kevin Dumas, vice president of product at the Odense, Denmark-based company. “In this case, being a fast follower is a good strategy.”

“Lots of products on the market use 2D lidar but require pallets in very good condition,” he told Mobile Robot Guide at the R-24 conference in Odense, Denmark. “If you look at pallet jacks built by other companies, they’re focused on building robots first. We expect to run for a long time in many environments, so we built a robust truck.”

“While AMRs already use machine learning for obstacle detection and avoidance, they didn’t need large language models [LLMs],” added Ujjwal Kumar, group president at Teradyne Robotics. “But autonomous pallet jacks must recognize real pallets that are often damaged, painted, or covered in shrink wrap. They needed to get smarter to detect them.”

AMR uses AutoGuide tech, addresses labor shortages

Teradyne is also applying technology from AutoGuide Mobile Robots, which it acquired in 2019 and combined with the MiR brand in 2022. Teradyne had acquired Mobile Industrial Robots in 2022.

“We took the team and technology from AutoGuide but didn’t want to build a standalone pallet jack,” said Kumar, who will deliver a keynote at the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston in May. “We had the AMR experience of MiR and could focus on pallet detection.”

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack’s 3D vision addresses labor-intensive materials handling, The new robot can dynamically modify its route to avoid obstacles such as loose objects on the floor or overhead obstacles.

Mobile Industrial Robots added that its new pallet jack can navigate in tight spaces with minimal changes to the existing infrastructure, making it suitable for optimizing logistics efficiency. Palletizing is a more straightforward workflow to automate than each picking, Dumas said.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

The NVIDIA connection

Mobile Industrial Robots’ new system processes a large amount of camera and lidar data in real time by accelerating the full stack on the GPU and several other processors built into the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module.

“Mobile Industrial Robots is still the largest AMR player outside of China, with the largest installed base of about 10,000 robots,” Kumar told Mobile Robot Guide at NVIDIA GTC in San Jose, Calif. “NVIDIA recognized the value of MiR’s complementary ecosystem of partners, OEMs, and end users.”

To get to safe, reliable, and complete autonomy, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack trained on 1.2 million images, according to Kumar.

“With NVIDIA Isaac Sim and MiR, customers can add both real and simulated images,” said Dumas. “We’re just at the beginning of that journey, and by future-proofing, we can expand into more areas of AI.”

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is one of the first AI-enabled products from Teradyne, he observed.

“Simulation isn’t just for modeling; it’s also for infrastructure,” Dumas said. “With transfers, we can validate repeatedly and reliably. With any change to the environment or model, such as a wooden conference floor, you have to do massive testing.”

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack trained on real and simulated images. Source: Mobile Industrial Robots

Mobile Industrial Robots integrates offerings

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is designed to integrate into existing MiR fleets and work with the company’s deck-load AMRs. Mobile Industrial Robots said the new system can help enterprises that typically operate more complex workflows, with larger fleets and multiple sites.

“As the latest addition to MiR’s wide range of AMRs, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack adds a new application area to our existing solutions for transportation scenarios from small to heavy loads, pallet transportation, and more,” said Jean-Pierre Hathout, president of MiR, in a release.

“All robots can be seamlessly managed and integrated via our industry-leading fleet management tool, MiR Fleet, and monitored and optimized using MiR Insights,” he said.

Customer demand ‘insatiable’

Was the automated pallet jack built in response to market demand?

“Customer demand seems insatiable,” said Dumas. “Pallet manipulation has come up in every conversation with existing and potential customers, after the availability of labor.”

As an established AMR provider, MiR has demonstrated that it can address the total cost of ownership more easily than new entrants to this space, he noted.

“With MiR1200 Pallet Jack, we have developed a rugged AMR pallet jack that will work in existing customer sites that present unique environmental challenges for automation,” Hathout added. “In addition, the MiR1200 Pallet Jacks’ robust tricycle drive system is developed through a partnership with Logitrans, which has 80+ years of experience with material handling.”

MiR has worked with Logitrans on the automated pallet jack. Source: Mobile Industrial Robots

Mobile Industrial Robots makes safety a priority

“Safety is in the DNA of every MiR product,” said Hathout. “The MiR1200 Pallet Jack complies with the latest product safety standards, including ISO 3691-4 [which governs industrial trucks].”

“The fusion of multiple sensor platforms and top-tier safety features provides a much safer alternative to traditional forklifts, pallet trucks and manual pallet jacks,” he said.

NVIDIA Jetson’s sensor fusion of four RGBD cameras and 3D lidar data provides precise detection of obstacles on the floor, overhead, and around the robot in dynamic environments such as warehouses, said Mobile Industrial Robots.

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack has an IP 52 rating for dust and water, with rugged wheels for mobility over multiple surfaces. In addition, it has a high battery capacity, a charging ratio of 1:14, and the option of opportunistic charging for 24/7 workflows.

The post Mobile Industrial Robots launches MiR1200 autonomous pallet jack appeared first on The Robot Report.

Apollo moving a tote at the Mercedes factory. | Credit: Apptronik

Apptronik today announced that leading automotive brand Mercedes-Benz is testing its Apollo humanoid robot. As part of the agreement, Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz will collaborate on identifying applications for Apollo in automotive settings.

Mercedes-Benz is exploring how well Apollo can bring parts to the production line for workers to assemble, while simultaneously inspecting the components. Apollo will also be tested at delivering totes of kitted parts later in the manufacturing process.

“When we set out to build Apollo, an agreement like the one we’re announcing today with Mercedes-Benz was a dream scenario,” Jeff Cardenas, co-founder & CEO of Apptronik, said in a press statement. “Mercedes plans to use robotics and Apollo for automating some low-skill, physically challenging, manual labor – a model use case which we’ll see other organizations replicate in the months and years to come.”

The Robot Report reached out to both Apptronik and Mercedes to learn more, but hadn’t heard back at press time. At the moment, it is unclear how many Apollos are being tested, if multiple automotive plants are involved, and what the extent of this partnership is. The photos Apptronik shared show Apollo in a plant in Hungary.

Humanoid race heats up

Apptronik unveiled Apollo in August 2023 and is one of the early innovators in the humanoid race, joining the likes of Agility Robotics’ Digit and Tesla Optimus. Since August, additional manufacturers have thrown their collective hats in the humanoid ring, including 1X, Figure AI, Sanctuary AI, Unitree, LimX and Fourier Intelligence.

The robotics market is at a unique point in time where all of the enabling technologies that make a humanoid viable are coming together. This includes the huge leaps in AI maturity and model training over the last two years, the power of edge compute, battery capacity, and the maturation of legged motion algorithms.

But there are at least two big looming questions: “What can humanoids reliably do?” and “Does it make sense for robots to be on legs versus wheels?” A key milestone for these humanoid manufacturers is to pass these early tests and secure reference customers that validate the robot’s functionality and help guide the product roadmap.

Automotive manufacturing is the leading adopter of robotics worldwide. Automotive manufacturers are under pressure to improve quality, and reduce costs, all while struggling to deal with labor issues. It makes perfect sense that the automotive market would explore how humanoids could help. Optimus will be tested at internal Tesla manufacturing plants, Figure has an agreement with BMW, and Agility Robotics has landed pilots with Amazon and GXO Logistics.

Why humanoids? Why now?

Back to the question of “Why humanoids?” Apptronik said the addition of humanoids to factories and plants would allow organizations like Mercedes-Benz to deploy robotics that are optimized to perform in spaces that are designed for humans, thus avoiding full-scale facility redesigns that are built around robots rather than people. In short, this approach centers on automating some physically demanding, repetitive, and dull tasks for which it is increasingly hard to find reliable workers.

Apollo, which has a form factor that roughly matches the size of a human worker (5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 lb with the ability to lift 55 lb), is built to operate in industrial spaces. Combined with a unique force control architecture that maintains safe operation around people (similar to a collaborative robot versus a traditional industrial robot), Apollo’s design allows it to work alongside people while simultaneously taking on physically demanding tasks, Apptronik said.

Apollo can safely work side by side and collaboratively with humans on the production line. | Credit: Apptronik

“To build the most desirable cars, we continually evolve the future of automotive production. Advancements in robotics and AI open up new opportunities for us. We are exploring new possibilities with the use of robotics to support our skilled workforce in manufacturing,” said Jörg Burzer, member of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, production, quality & supply chain management. “This is a new frontier, and we want to understand the potential both for robotics and automotive manufacturing to fill labor gaps in areas such as low skill, repetitive and physically demanding work and to free up our highly skilled team members on the line to build the world’s most desirable cars.”

Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer of Agility Robotics, will keynote the Robotics Summit & Expo, which runs May 1-2 in Boston. The event expects more than 5,000 attendees and is designed to help robotics engineers overcome the technical challenges of building commercial robots. The Robotics Summit & Expo is produced by The Robot Report and parent company WTWH Media.

Hurst’s keynote on May 1 from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. ET is titled “Humanoid Robots Get to Work.” It will explore the technological breakthroughs propelling humanoids like Digit into real-world use cases. Attendees will learn about the ongoing challenges and opportunities and will go inside Digit’s first pilots.

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