Produced by Robotics Business Review
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The Robot Report
Welcome to the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards What does a childlike, humanoid robot, a research center, a 5G development platform, and taxis, tractors and interplanetary explorers have in common? Well, if you are reading this paragraph, you can probably guess “robotics,” and you would not be wrong. But the similarities do not end there, and they are more pointed and correlated. All the examples are representative of winners of the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards (RBR50). For nearly a decade, Robotics Business Review has produced the RBR50, which recognizes and celebrates forward thinking companies from across the globe and the original, impactful solutions they have created. Widely recognized throughout the world as a leading indicator of robotics innovation leadership, the RBR50 is also a critical indicator of robotics sector growth. For the robotics sector, the role, importance, and impact of innovation has never been greater. Moreover, it is the confluence of multiple, diverse innovation determinants technological, business, and market – that act to accelerate robotics sector growth overall.
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The RBR50 reflects that diversity of innovation, and celebrates robotics innovation in all its forms including: • Business and Management Innovation - Business and management initiatives or practices that enhance a company’s commercial standing, fosters robotics sector growth or improves society. • Technology, Products and Services Innovation – New commercial solutions that have the potential to positively impact markets or the whole robotics sector. • Application and Market Innovation – Industry specific, newly developed applications that deliver value, provide entry to new markets, or improve performance over existing approaches (i.e. improve productivity, increase quality, reduce cost, etc.). The editors in WTWH Media’s Robotics Group enjoyed the challenge of evaluating and selecting the 2021 RBR50 awards winners, and learned much during the process. We hope you share that enthusiasm, and the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards also acts to increase your understanding of the global robotics sector. In that small way, the RBR50 will have done its part to drive the robotics sector forward. RR
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RBR50 Introduction
Inside the RBR50 A closer look at notable innovators and where this year’s winners are from.
Steve Crowe • Editorial Director • The Robot Report
The first flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was captured in this image from Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on April 19, 2021. The milestone marked the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. Credit: NASA JPL
Each year, the RBR50 receives more nominations than can fit in the annual list. This year, the final selection reflects more rigorous judging criteria, current technological and business trends in robotics, and the world, hopefully, emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since companies of different sizes build robots for widely differing applications, it is difficult to compare them directly. Add to that regional clusters, universities and research institutions, and new business models, and it becomes clear the best way to analyze robotics leadership is to see what categories and industries they fit into. Notable Winners An emphasis on innovation led to 27 RBR50 winners being recognized for their introduction of new products, services and technologies. This included both hardware and software for autonomous systems. Twenty companies were honored for application and market innovations, while three were honored for their business prowess. No RBR50 winner was more innovative than the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which forever changed space exploration with its near-flawless execution of the Mars 2020 Mission. The organization’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, traveling 292.5 million miles from Earth. The fifth
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THE ROBOT REPORT
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2 Conceptual rendering of the multi-jointed robotic arm of a surgical system.
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RBR50 Introduction This still image is part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. A camera aboard the descent stage captured this shot.
Investment in RBR50 innovators Several RBR50 winners raised funding or were acquired to continue their development of self-driving cars, end-of-arm tooling, sensors, and commercial robotics systems. Here are some of the notable transactions. Softbank paid $2.8 billion for a 40% stake in AutoStore, a leading developer of automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). AutoStore currently has a global customer base with more than 600 installations and 20,000 robots across 35 countries. Hyundai Motor, in December 2020, acquired a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics for about $880 million. Hyundai became the third owner of Boston Dynamics in seven years. It was acquired by Google in 2013 and sold to Softbank Group in 2017. After raising about $620 million since it was founded in 2016, autonomous trucking startup Plus is being acquired by Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. V, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. American Robotics, an industrial drone developer specializing in autonomy for rugged, real-world environments, was recently acquired by Ondas Holdings for $70.6 million. American Robotics was the first startup resident of MassRobotics.
Credit: NASA JPL
robotic rover is currently searching for signs of previous life on the Red Planet. Also attached to its underbelly was the Ingenuity Helicopter, which became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. Notable market innovators include AutoX and Waymo, which both introduced to the public Level 4 robotaxi services that don’t have human safety drivers. Waymo launched its service near Phoenix in late 2020, while AutoX followed suit in January 2021 By innovation class:
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in Shenzhen, China. Both services are far from perfect and are only offered in small, mapped areas. However, L4 robotaxis officially arrived in the world thanks to AutoX and Waymo. More people are killed or injured each year in the mining industry than any other industry. Australia-based Orica is a perfect example of how robots can be used for dangerous jobs. The company’s Avatel system automates blast hole charging systems for the underground mining market. It enables a single operator to prepare and charge explosives from the safety of an enclosed cabin, several meters from the rock faces and out of harm’s way. Similar to the 2020 list, one company was recognized this year for social good. READY Robotics was honored for its work to address the skills gap
With Spot Arm, Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped is no longer just a data collection robot, but rather a skilled mobile manipulator that can interact with its environment. Credit: Boston Dynamics
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RBR50 Introduction that has continued to negatively impact the manufacturing industry. It launched a free, online educational platform designed to teach manufacturing professionals how to design, program, deploy, manage and scale automation. The skilled labor shortage that is limiting manufacturing productivity is expected to grow to 2.4 million unfilled jobs by 2028. A major change to this year’s list is the lack of companies that develop autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for logistics applications. Nine AMR companies that focus primarily on logistics made the list in 2020, while only 3 did so in 2021: BMW’s IDEALWorks, GreyOrange, and inVia Robotics. In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and growing e-commerce pressures, most AMR companies focused on scaling deployments rather than developing new models. RR
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While the majority of RBR50 winners are based in the U.S. (30), 13 other countries were represented, including Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Within the U.S., organizations from 15 states were included on this year’s list, with 15 winners coming from California alone. Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania each had two winners. A winner from Massachusetts to keep an eye on is commercial drone developer American Robotics. In January 2021, it became the first company approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate fully autonomous drones without visual observers on site. This approval could unlock long-awaited and widespread drone usage for the commercial market, which is projected to be a $100 billion market. Denmark-based Universal Robots (UR) once again made the list. This is the 10th time in 11 years that UR won an RBR50 award, far more than any other company on the list. It won for its ActiNav machine loading kit for bin-picking and machine-tending applications. There are only five repeat winners from the 2020 list, including Boston Dynamics, SCHUNK, SICK, UR and Waymo.
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RBR50 CHART Company
Innovation
Innovation Type
Innovation Subclass
Accerion
Accerion releases novel positioning sensor with sub-millimeter accuracy, for mobile robots and automated guided vehicles.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Ambi Robotics
Ambi Robotics leverages Sim2Real technology to train its picking robots much faster than by collecting real-world data.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
American Robotics
American Robotics becomes first company approved by FAA to operate autonomous drones without visual observers on site.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
AutoStore
AutoStore deploys e-grocery micro-fulfillment centers to optimize grocery e-commerce workflow.
Application & Market Innovation
Retail/Wholesale
AutoX
AutoX launches China’s first Level 4 robotaxi service without safety drivers.
Application & Market Innovation
Transportation
BMW/IDEALworks
BMW Group launches IDEALworks, helping itself and becoming an AMR player.
Business & Management Innovation
Leadership
Boston Dynamics
A 6-DoF robotic arm opens new doors for Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Canvas
Canvas releases a drywall finishing robot that can spray and sand drywall mud.
Application & Market Innovation
Construction/Demolition
DreamVu
DreamVu’s single-sensor solution reduces the cost and complexity of providing robots with omnidirectional, 3D vision.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Embodied
Embodied revolutionizes child development with Moxie social companion robot.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
FarmWise
FarmWise leverages machine learning and robotics to power agricultural weeding solution.
Application & Market Innovation
Agriculture
FedEx/PlusOne
FedEx adds pick-and-place robots into its small package sort facility to handle shipment growth.
Application & Market Innovation
Logistics
Ford/University of Michigan
The University of Michigan opens Ford Motor Company Robotics Building.
Business & Management Innovation
Leadership
GreyOrange
GreyOrange and Vicarious launches autonomous vertical picking solution for automated pick-n-pack operations.
Application & Market Innovation
Logistics
Hello Robot
Hello Robot’s Stretch RE-1 democratizes mobile manipulation.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
inVia Robotics
inVia Picker Wall increases warehouse productivity by 10x.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Services Introduction
Material Handling Systems
MHS’ multi-pick robotic end effector picks up 36 items simultaneously.
Application & Market Innovation
Logistics
ModalAI
ModalAI’s VOXL Flight combines powerful autonomy computer and PX4 flight controller on a single board.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Monarch Tractor
Monarch Tractor launches all-electric, autonomous, compact class tractor.
Application & Market Innovation
Agriculture
Motus Labs
Motus Labs’ ML1000 series of gearless drives create high torque and high performance.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
NASA JPL
NASA JPL’s Mars 2020 Mission revolutionizes future of space exploration.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Oculii
Oculii’s intelligent software increases resolution, sensitivity and range of radar.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
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RBR50 CHART Company
Innovation
Innovation Type
Innovation Subclass
Open Robotics
Built on ROS 2, RoMi-H enables interoperability of heterogeneous robot fleets.
Application & Market Innovation
Healthcare
Opteran Technologies Limited
Natural Intelligence the basis for Opteran Technologies’ machine autonomy solutions.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Primary or Applied Research
Orica
Orica uses robotics to improve the speed of the blast charging process while increasing the safety of human miners.
Application & Market Innovation
Mining/Quarrying
Ottonomy
Ottonomy makes air travel a little easier by providing gate-side deliveries to weary travelers.
Application & Market Innovation
Consumer
Photoneo s.r.o.
Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D provides no compromise 3D reconstruction of objects in motion.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Plus
Plus demonstrates value of SL4 for trucking, and paves way for fully autonomous driving.
Application & Market Innovation
Transportation
Prophesee
Prophesee debuts Metavision Intelligence Suite SDK as part of ecosystem for event-based visioning.
Application & Market Innovation
Manufacturing
QLayers
QLayers’ 10Q robot transforms traditional, manual method of coating large industrial surfaces.
Application & Market Innovation
Construction/Demolition
Qualcomm Technologies
Qualcomm’s RB5 provides high-end compute, edge AI, 5G and more for robotics developers.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
RE2 Robotics
RE2 automates solar panel installation and reduces the time to set up new solar energy farms.
Application & Market Innovation
Energy
READY Robotics
READY Robotics launches free, online educational platform to address skills gap.
Business & Management Innovation
Social Good
rideOS
rideOS builds a traffic control center for managing fleets of autonomous vehicles.
Application & Market Innovation
Transportation
Rocos
Rocos enables cloud-based, remote operation and real-time visualization of heterogeneous robotic fleets.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
ROEQ
ROEQ innovates with new coded light sensor to bridge the communication gap between AMR and conveyor docks.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
SBG Systems
SBG Systems’ tiny Ellipse-D inertial sensor provides precise heading and centimeter-level position accuracy.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
SCHUNK
SCHUNK’s Plug & Work portfolios simplify and speed up cobot deployments.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Seoul Robotics
Seoul Robotics Discovery democratizes LiDAR-based 3D sensing.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
SICK
SICK LiDAR-LOC enables contour-based navigation on mobile robotics platforms.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Siemens Digital Industries Software
Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio accelerates innovation for autonomous vehicle startups.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Services Introduction
SLAMcore
SLAMcore releases SpatialAI SDK, a powerful set of navigation functions.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew enables better surgical outcomes with robotic-assisted surgery.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Tevel Aerobotics Technologies
Tevel launches commercial tethered drone solution to identify and pick ripe fruit.
Application & Market Innovation
Agriculture
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Advanced Robotics for Smart Logistics
Automated Warehouse Solutions Rapid ROI
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“On demand” software and hardware configurations Eliminates mispicks and accuracy issues 1-3 months
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RBR50 CHART Company
Innovation
Innovation Type
Innovation Subclass
ULC Technologies
Roadworks operations are safer and easier with robotic-assisted asset mapping and excavation.
Application & Market Innovation
Utilities
Universal Robots
Universal Robots’ ActiNav simplifies machine-loading applications.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
Vention
Vention simplies automation design and specification process with online workcell design and ordering tool.
Application & Market Innovation
Manufacturing
Verizon New Business Incubation
Verizon 5G enables new modes of operation and enhances wireless communication for autonomous mobile robots.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Primary or Applied Research
Waymo
Waymo One launches in Phoenix area in October 2020, becoming first Level 4 robotaxi service.
Application & Market Innovation
Transportation
WiBotic
WiBotic releases WiBotics Commander software for fleet energy management of mobile robots.
Technology, Services & Research Innovation
Product Introduction
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Accerion Triton a Unique Localization Sensor for Mobile Robots Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Accerion Netherlands www.accerion.tech 2015 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In September 2020, Accerion released the vision-based Triton positioning sensor for mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The Triton provides sub-millimeter accuracy and enables AMRs and AGVs to easily and accurately determine their location, independent om the environment.
Analysis: The Accerion Triton sensor is unique in the market and delivers a necessary element of localization without the need to add infrastructure to the operating environment for AMRs and AGVs. Without Triton, most devices are only capable of centimeter accuracy, but Triton delivers sub-millimeter accuracy throughout the facility. The Triton is a plug-and play replacement for line guiding and magnetic wire following sensors. This enables AGVs that were previously guided by paint or magnetic stripes on the floor
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to become virtual line followers. The Triton system consists of a camera, lighting, CPU, software and database embedded in one sensor measuring 110 x 110 x 40 mm with two connections: power supply and signal exchange. Triton holds CE, FCC and RoHS certifications. Triton enables robot designers to have a number of navigation options available to them depending on the use case and the economic constraints of the application. RR – Mike Oitzman
THE ROBOT REPORT
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Ambi Robotics Leverages Sim2Real Technology to Power Picking Robots Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Ambi Robotics U.S. www.ambirobotics.com 2019 1-10 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Ambi Robotics emerged om stealth in March 2021 and introduced AmbiSort and AmbiKit, AIpowered pick-and-place robots for parcel sortation and e-commerce kitting. Co-founded by leading roboticist Ken Goldberg, the robots can sort a variety of parcel types, including boxes, polybags, and mail envelopes, and successfully pick om bins, chutes, totes, or gaylords. Ambi’s robots are modular, and the company claimed AmbiSort works over 50% faster than manual labor. The systems get smarter over time thanks to AI-based quality control that improves accuracy to avoid mispicks.
Analysis: Pick-and-place robots for logistics applications are not novel, but Ambi’s operating system is. The robots are powered by AmbiOS, the company’s advanced operating system that leverages proprietary simulation-to-reality technology to rapidly teach robots unique pick and pack tasks. AmbiOS leverages The Dexterity Network (Dex-Net) project that automates the training of deep neural networks to improve a robot’s ability to grasp items. Dex-Net was created by Goldberg and his team at the University of California, Berkeley.
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AmbiOS trains robots in simulation and transfers its deep neural network advancements to real-world systems. Goldberg claims Dex-Net trains robots in hours, not months, 10,000 times faster than collecting data in the real world. Faster training in simulation opens up new opportunities for robotic manipulation, creating more capable robots from day one that can help companies handle surging e-commerce demand. RR – Steve Crowe
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH — Product Introduction
American Robotics’ FAA Approval a Major Milestone for Commercial Drones Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
American Robotics U.S. www. american-robotics.com 2016 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Product Introduction
Description: In January 2021, Marlborough, Mass.-based American Robotics became the first company approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate fully autonomous drones without visual observers on-site. Before this approval, waivers and certifications awarded by the FAA required visual observers to be stationed along the flight path to monitor a drone’s airspace. American Robotics’ Scout System features advanced acoustic detect-and-avoid technology that enables it to maintain a safe distance om other aircra . Scout is designed for data gathering applications in industrial, agricultural and governmental settings.
Analysis: The value and scalability of the U.S. commercial drone industry has been drastically inhibited, or in most cases, eliminated by burdensome restrictions. Autonomy, and the ability to fly without an operator, should have a major impact on drone adoption in a variety of industries. American Robotics’ groundbreaking FAA approval is a critical step forward for the commercial drone industry. The industry can now build on American Robotics’ success by continuing to work with the FAA toward safe
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integration of commercial drones into our national airspace. With this new regulatory approval, American Robotics is unlocking longawaited and widespread drone usage for the commercial market, which is projected to be a $100 billion industry. As a result, the company is enabling never-before-possible access to real-time information, next-generation analytics, and AI-powered insights to bring dated industries into the 21st century. RR – Steve Crowe
THE ROBOT REPORT
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Retail/Wholesale
AutoStore Micro Fulfillment Centers Enable Grocers to Optimize Delivery Services Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
AutoStore U.S. www. autostoresystem.com 1996 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Retail/Wholesale
Description: During 2020, AutoStore rolled out micro-fulfillment centers (MFC) to enable grocery e-commerce fulfillment workflow. The AutoStore MFC solution fits in the space between largescale but remote automated warehouses and labor-intensive, in-store fulfillment. AutoStore MFCs enable retailers to have more efficient order fulfillment through both in-store pickup and rapid home delivery to customers.
Analysis: Full blown automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) have emerged as one of the key solutions for warehouse fulfillment. Historically, cube-based ASRS systems, like those delivered by AutoStore, required a huge investment in time and money, along with a large allocation of warehouse floorspace. The innovation of a “micro-fulfillment” center is in the space optimization of smaller footprint ASRS designs. AutoStore leveraged its core knowledge and expertise in ASRS design to produce a high-density storage solution that
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can be deployed effectively into a smaller footprint. An AutoStore MFC can be configured to fit in a grocery store back storeroom or even in a section of the front-of-house retail space to provide a new shopping experience. The solution is easily expandable to accommodate future growth. Finally, unlike in-store fulfillment options for curbside or home delivery, AutoStore MFC provides complete inventory control to minimize the opportunity for stockouts, a common problem for in-store fulfillment. RR – Mike Oitzman
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APPLICATION AND MARKET INNOVATION — Transportation
AutoX is World’s 2nd Company to Operate Driverless Robotaxi Service Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
AutoX China www.autox.ai 2016 100+ Application and Market Innovation Transportation
Description: AutoX, a Chinese autonomous vehicle pioneer, opened its Level 4 driverless robotaxi service to the public in Shenzhen, China in January 2021. This is the first time the general public in China can pay for a robotaxi that doesn’t have a safety driver. The modified Fiat Chrysler Pacifica minivans use a variety of sensing modalities, including cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMUs and GPS. Shenzhen has the highest level of population density of any city in China. To start, AutoX’s fleet of 25 Pacifica minivans will operate within Shenzhen’s Pingshan district, which is 65 square miles in size. AutoX’s vehicles have teleoperators standing by in case the systems encounter situations they can’t handle. AutoX is also testing a robotaxi service in Shanghai, but it currently uses safety drivers.
Analysis: AutoX became the second company in the world to launch a Level 4 robotaxi service to the public without safety drivers. Fellow RBR50 company Waymo was the first to do so, opening its robotaxi service to the public in Chandler, Arizona in late 2020. In just five years, AutoX launched its public robotaxi service, which shows the rate at which innovation is happening in the space.
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The company is the first to obtain permits in four mega cities in China (name them) and the second to obtain a driverless robotaxi permit in California, although it has yet to utilize it. There is tremendous activity taking place within China’s autonomous vehicle industry, but none more impressive than what AutoX has accomplished. RR – Steve Crowe
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Robot Arm Opens Doors for Boston Dynamics’ Spot Quadruped Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Boston Dynamics U.S. www.bostondynamics.com 1992 101-500 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In February 2021, Boston Dynamics released its long-awaited Spot Arm. Featuring a 6-DoF arm and two-finger gripper, the robot arm attaches to the Spot quadruped and can grab, li , place, and drag a variety of objects, including door knobs, tools, and valves. Spot Arm features a maximum li capacity of 24.3 lb, while the gripper features integrated time of flight, IMU, and 4K RGB sensors, as well as two accessory ports for power and Gigabit Ethernet. Manipulating objects with Spot Arm can be done manually or semi-autonomously via constrained manipulation or “Touch to Grasp.” If controlling Spot on a tablet, for example, users simply touch the object on the screen that they want Spot to manipulate. The robot will then autonomously figure out how to best grasp the object.
Analysis: Spot first became commercially available in June 2020 for $74,500. There are now 500plus Spot quadrupeds operating in the real world. With Spot Arm, Spot is no longer just a data collection robot, but rather a highlyskilled mobile manipulator that can interact with its environment. A legged mobile manipulator is a novel form factor. Spot performs whole-body manipulation with its robotic arm, as opposed to just acting as a four-legged base that brings the arm to the desired location.
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Not only will existing Spot users gain greater functionality with Spot Arm, but it will expand the quadruped’s customer base and generate more revenue for Boston Dynamics, which was acquired by Hyundai Motor Group in December 2020 for $880 million. RR – Steve Crowe
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Construction
Canvas Partners with International Union on Novel Drywall Finishing Robot Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Canvas U.S. www.canvas.build 2017 11-15 Application & Market Innovation Construction
Description: San Francisco-based Canvas exited stealth mode in November 2020, unveiling a semiautonomous drywall finishing robot. The robot combines a mobile base, robot arm, multiple end effectors and multiple sensing modalities to spray and sand drywall mud. Canvas currently focuses on installing drywall at commercial construction sites larger than 10,000 square feet. It claims it can consistently deliver better than Level 5 finish, what it calls Machine-Finished Level 5, and reduce finishing times by up to 2.5x.
Analysis: Drywall finishing represents one of the dirtiest jobs in construction. It’s also often over budget and behind schedule. Canvas is changing this by putting better tools in the hands of construction workers by creating a new class of robotics. Canvas also partnered with leading builders, including Webcor, Swinerton, and Suffolk, and District Council 16 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. This will not only help improve the technology, it gets the robot into the hands of more skilled operators. Canvas’
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approach will help construction workers familiarize themselves with and accept robotic technology, which is often a barrier to adoption in many industries. Canvas considers itself a techenabled drywall subcontractor, not a robotics company. Canvas was set up as a construction company for go-to-market purposes, and the company is hired just like any other subcontractor, except it arrives at the jobsite with state-of-the-art robots in tow. RR – Steve Crowe
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:07 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
DreamVu Reduces Cost, Complexity of Giving Robots 360° Situational Awareness Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
DreamVu U.S. www.dreamvu.com 2017 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: PAL and PAL Mini, two solid-state, omnidirectional 3D vision systems recently launched by Philadelphia-based DreamVu, includes the hardware (camera) and the so ware required to run the camera and to perform tasks such as obstacle detection and avoidance, localization and mapping. Each system provides 360° horizontal field-of-view, with PAL supporting a 110° vertical field-of-view while PAL Mini offers an 80° vertical field-of-view.
Analysis: The sensor stacks in robots (especially mobile robots) are expensive and complex. DreamVu addresses these challenges by offering the low power, small form factor PAL and PAL Mini, 360° 3D cameras that provide highresolution vision, high-accuracy depth, and color 3D point-clouds.
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The PAL stereo vision systems deliver a large field of view for situational awareness, but at a lower cost than LiDAR solutions or others requiring the use of additional narrow field-of-view cameras to provide the same 360° coverage. RR – Dan Kara
www.therobotreport.com
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Embodied Revolutionizes Child Development with Moxie Social Companion Robot Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Embodied U.S. https://embodied.com/ 2016 50-100 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In April 2020, Los Angeles-based Embodied Inc. formally launched Moxie, an engaging robot companion for children designed to promote social, emotional, and cognitive development through play-based learning. Embodied representatives have acknowledged that its vision is a ‘moonshot,’ but the social imperatives for this new class of child development tool forced the company to overcome a number of significant challenges in unique ways.
Analysis: There have been other attempts at developing social robots for children, many of them little more than advanced, consumer-class toys, but a few like Moxie were designed specifically to promote social engagement and cognitive development. These systems largely failed to find a commercial footing. The developers of Moxie have learned om these earlier attempts. They also benefited om a new generation of critical enablers - powerful microprocessors, computer vision and machine learning – that provide advanced capabilities at a relatively low cost. For example, Embodied developed its SocialX platform, which leverages machine learning, enabling children to interact with Moxie naturally via conversation, facial expressions, and body language. To ensure privacy, Moxie
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notably does not require cloud-based services to deliver most of the necessary social skills to facilitate spontaneous, two-way interactions. In addition to the advanced technologies incorporated into Moxie, the Embodied team also created a specialized curriculum for Moxie based on child development research that makes interacting with the robot fun and engaging. Embodied also opted for a subscription model for Moxie’s launch that includes so ware and curricula updates, access to the Global Robotics Laboratory, an online children portal with games and stories, and behavioral analytics via the Embodied Moxie app. The technologies, business model, and the decades of children’s development research make Moxie a moonshot with its heart in the right place RR - Dan Kara
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:19 PM
APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Agriculture
FarmWise Leverages Machine Learning and Robotics to Power Agricultural Weeding Solution Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
FarmWise U.S. https://farmwiselabs.com/ 2016 51-100 Application & Market Innovation Agriculture
Description: In April 2020, Farmwise released its Titan FT-35, the third and most advanced version of its driverless weeding tractor. The Titan FT-35 solution, which is currently offered as a service to vegetable growers in California and Arizona (fee per acre), includes the operation, servicing, and maintenance of the Titan system.
Analysis: Agricultural weeding (and other similar undertakings) is a costly and laborintensive task, and chemical methods, while effective, are expensive and often have negative environmental consequences associated with them. For the Titan system, Farmwise leveraged computer vision and machine learning to distinguish
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vegetables — including broccoli, lettuce and cauliflower —from weeds, which are then removed with robotic arms. No herbicides are involved in the process. The result? Streamlined farm operations and increased food production efficiency, while reducing the environmental impact of agricultural weeding. RR – Dan Kara
www.therobotreport.com
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Logistics
Pick-and-place Robots Help FedEx Handle e-commerce Growth Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
FedEx U.S. www.fedex.com 1971 500+ Application & Market Innovation Logistics
Description: In 2020, FedEx introduced four pick-and-place robots into its small package sort facility at the Memphis Hub. These robots were one of the first of their kind when it came to sorting packages at a major sorting facility. The robots work two 4-hour shi s - a day sort and a night sort. Each robot sorts anywhere om 1000-1400 packages per hour depending on package mix. In 2021, FedEx plans to expand the number of robots not only in Memphis, but other operations in its network.
Analysis: This innovation shows how far robotics, AI, and vision systems have come when dealing with the diversity of package types that the typical package sort operation deals with. This opens up the rest of the industry to deploy more of these types of systems into their networks. FedEx’s deployment showcases the state-ofthe-art as Amazon just did something similar with its “Robin” robot. With the explosion of e-commerce due to
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the COVID-19 pandemic, this breakthrough will help not only FedEx, but the rest of the logistics industry to deal with the continued growth in shipments while also dealing with a shrinking workforce as Baby Boomers retire. This type of application also allows FedEx and others to reposition and upskill their workforce to address other tasks within their operations and not this monotonous task of picking and placing packages into a sorter. RR – Steve Crowe
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:23 PM
BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT INNOVATION — Leadership
University of Michigan Opens Ford Motor Company Robotics Building Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
University of Michigan U.S. https://umich.edu 1817 N/A Business & Management Innovation Leadership
Description: In March 2021, the University of Michigan (U-M) held the grand opening of the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building, a four-story, $75 million, 134,000-square-foot robotics research complex. The first three floors of the facility will house U-M robotics research labs, while the fourth floor will lodge Ford’s first robotics and mobility research lab on a university campus, as well as 100 Ford roboticists, including autonomous vehicle researchers.
Analysis: The state of Michigan is headquarters of car manufacturers Ford and General Motors, as well as major automotive systems and components suppliers, all of which rely heavily on robotic automation. So it comes as no surprise that the University of Michigan, home of M-Air, a research facility focused on autonomy and collaborative robotics, and Mcity, a testing ground for autonomous vehicles, was well-regarded as a world-class center for robotics and autonomy research prior to the opening of the Ford research facility. The opening of the Ford Motor
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Company Robotics Building will further enhance that reputation. The work at the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building and other U-M research sites will generate new robotics capabilities and technologies by participating in both fundamental and applied research. But they will also facilitate robotics innovation through technology transfer activities, networking events, and most importantly, the education of the next generation of robotics researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. RR – Dan Kara
www.therobotreport.com
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Logistics
GreyOrange Autonomous Vertical Picking Increases e-commerce Operation 300-400% Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
GreyOrange Singapore www.greyorange.com 2011 500+ Application & Market Innovation Logistics
Description: In March 2021, GreyOrange teamed up with Vicarious to bring a unique, fully autonomous, order picking solution to market. The GreyMatter Fulfillment Operating System (FOS) oversees the entire fulfillment workflow for this solution. FOS provides oversight of the GreyOrange Butler AMRs to bring bulk inventory into and out of the Vicarious work cells. FOS also orchestrates the Vicarious picking robot to properly configure each specific customer order.
Analysis:
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Vicarious’ computer-vision and gripper technology enables it to handle unstructured and hard to grasp items. The Vicarious robot is capable of picking items from vertically oriented bulk storage. The combination of automated order picking by Vicarious, together with the continual flow of bulk inventory with the GreyOrange AMRs, is a unique fulfillment workflow solution on the market. The FOS has knowledge about all of the customer orders for the day, and
orchestrates all of the automation on the warehouse floor to fulfill customer orders. The result is that this solution is helping e-commerce and omnichannel players increase the efficiency of their operations by 300 to 400 percent while also providing safe and socially-distanced work environments for their associates. RR – Mike Oitzman
www.therobotreport.com
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:26 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Hello Robot’s Stretch a Major Step Towards Democratizing Mobile Manipulation Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Hello Robot U.S. www.hello-robot.com 2017 1-10 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: A er three-plus years in stealth mode, Martinez, Calif.-based Hello Robot launched its Stretch RE1 mobile manipulator in July 2020. Designed primarily as a research platform, Stretch weighs less than 55 lb, offers a payload capacity of more than 3.3 lb, 3D perception, a compliant gripper, open-source so ware and much more. A sleek, carbon-fiber telescoping arm can reach up 43.3 inches high and extends outward 20.5 inches, enabling the robot to grasp items on a variety of surfaces. Stretch RE1 also features torque sensing in all its joints to detect contact, a laser range finder, an onboard computer, and differential two-wheel drive. The robot has various mount points and expansion ports that allow researchers to extend the robot with their own hardware.
Analysis: Led by Aaron Edsinger and Charlie Kemp, Hello Robot combines decades of experience in industry and academia. Stretch RE1 is a novel, low-cost approach to mobile manipulation. At $17,950, Stretch costs a fraction of what other mobile manipulators sell for without compromising its performance. The PR2, for example, cost upwards of $400,000 when it was the state-of-the-art mobile manipulator 10-plus years ago.
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Stretch is a major step towards democratizing mobile manipulation technology. On top of being capable, lightweight and opensource, Stretch ships with out-of-the-box teleoperation and demos of autonomous functionality like path planning and object grasping, facilitating prototyping of new applications. RR – Steve Crowe
www.therobotreport.com
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BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT INNOVATION — Leadership
BMW Group Launches IDEALworks, Helping Itself and Becoming an AMR Player Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
BMW / IDEALworks Germany https://idealworks.com 2020 34 Business & Management Innovation Leadership
Description: In 2020 the BMW Group launched a wholly-owned, Munich-based subsidiary named IDEALworks, with the “IDEAL” standing for Industry-Driven Engineering for Autonomous Logistics. IDEALworks was formed om BMW’s Logistics innovation team, which during the previous five years had developed the Smart Transport Robot STR (in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute and other technology partners such as NVIDIA), an intelligent autonomous mobile robot (AMR) optimized for intralogistics work in BMW’s automotive factories. The STRs – now renamed iw.hub - had been in use at several BMW production sites prior to the founding of IDEALworks, but in 2020, the iw.hub was made commercially available to companies outside of BMW.
Analysis: The IDEALworks founding and iw.hub commercialization demonstrates business leadership at multiple levels. First, BMW leveraged the company’s domain expertise in logistics to develop a solution optimized for automotive manufacturing (BMW officials have indicated that 3rd party AMR solutions were lacking). By spinning off IDEALworks and commercializing the iw.hub, BMW’s AMR skunkworks goes from being a revenue sink to a revenue source in the very hot AMR market. IDEALworks intends to broaden its AMR
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offerings targeting applications outside of logistics and possibly industries outside of automotive. This opens up further opportunities for continued growth and systems development, and well as the formation of new partnerships. All the while, IDEALworks benefits from its relationship to the mother company BMW Group, which as a global multinational business will continue to be a driver for robotics innovation and source for in-house proof-of-concepts and testing. RR – Dan Kara
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:29 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Services Introduction
inVia Robotics Optimizes Picking Operations with Picker Wall Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
inVia Robotics U.S. www.inviarobotics.com 2015 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Services Introduction
Description: The inVia Picker Wall innovates warehouse goods-to-person workflow by optimizing the target SKUs for each day’s customer orders. By pre-staging ordered quantities and decoupling robots om shi work, inVia Robotics’ customers have seen up to 10x throughput improvement.
Analysis: inVia Picker robots (AMRs) autonomously retrieve goods from the warehouse and put the bulk storage bins onto the wall for workers to pick from. This process decouples the order fulfillment process from the automatic storage and retrieval of goods from warehouse inventory locations. inVia software keeps track of the bulk storage locations of individual SKUs, and continuously optimizes the storage of items based on their demand by customer orders. High volume SKUs are stored on shelves close to the Picker Wall, while “long tail” items are placed into storage
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on shelves in the aisles furthest away from the Picker Wall. Throughout the day, inVia Picker AMRs continuously shuffle bulk storage bins between the inVia Picker Wall and a target storage location based on the demands of upcoming orders. Some existing inVia customers have seen dramatic throughput enhancements with the implementation of the inVia Picker Wall without any additional robots being deployed. Given that inVia customers pay for the service in a robotsas-a-service contract, this is a win-win for both inVia and the end customer. RR – Mike Oitzman
www.therobotreport.com
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Logistics
Material Handling Systems’ Multi-pick End Effector a Step Forward for Pick-and-Place Technology Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Material Handling Systems U.S. www.mhsglobal.com 1999 500+ Application & Market Innovation Logistics
Description: Unlike end effectors that handle a single item at a time, the multi-pick robotic end effector om Material Handling Systems (MHS) can pick up and hold up to 36 items simultaneously and pack four orders at a time into four separate shipping boxes. Working as part of a goods-to-robot fulfillment system, this package offers a throughput rate of 90,000 pieces picked and 42,000 orders fulfilled per day.
Analysis: Today’s e-commerce landscape pushes supply chains to meet faster service levels and overcome labor challenges in the face of intense cost pressures. MHS’ multi-pick end effector uses advanced technology to help companies reduce dependency on a shaky labor pool, control costs, and boost output. The multi-pick robotic end effector breaks new ground for robotic order fulfillment with an end effector capable of processing
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large numbers of items to plan for and pick higher quantities and then act as an ondemand buffer, holding some items while packing orders of various quantities as available. The multi-pick robotic end effector is a step forward for pick-and-place robotic technology in logistics and offers meaningful productivity advantages for businesses with large amounts of multi-item orders to fulfill. RR – Steve Crowe
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:31 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
ModalAI’s VOXL Flight Combines Powerful Autonomy Computer and PX4 Flight Controller on a Single Board Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
ModalAI U.S. www.modalai.com 2018 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In April 2020, ModalAI, a Qualcomm spin out, released VOXL Flight, a development platform for GPS-denied autonomous drone localization and navigation, along with computer vision for AIpowered object recognition, depth sensing and obstacle avoidance. The SWaP-C (size, weight, power consumption, and cost) optimized VOXL Flight incorporates a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC and PX4 flight controller on a single board, and can support up to four image sensors for simultaneous 4k video capture, streaming and machine vision processing. An LTE add-on is available that plugs into the VOXL’s board-to-board connector, enabling command and control for operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
Analysis: VOXL Flight’s single-board architecture (small size, low weight) and powerful compute, imaging and navigation features makes it a great choice for autonomous drone developers building systems for indoor flight (and other GPS-deprived environments), as well as large scale, 4G LTE-enabled BVLOS operations. As such, it enables and simplifies the development of drone-based solutions for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications.
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For companies developing solutions for the U.S. defense department, it is also notable that the VOXL Flight is developed and manufactured in the U.S., and so it is compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2020, which bars the U.S. military from purchasing unmanned aircraft systems that are designed or manufactured in foreign countries. RR – Dan Kara
www.therobotreport.com
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Agriculture
Monarch Launches All-electric, Compact Tractor Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Monarch Tractor U.S. www.monarchtractor.com 2018 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Agriculture
Description: In November 2020, Monarch Tractor launched an all-electric, compact-class tractor. With an electric motor, the Monarch Tractor brings a new level of autonomy to small- and medium-sized farms around the world. The tractor works with any existing compact tractor, and opens the door to a new class of “smart implements” that will enable additional automation of in-field operations.
Analysis: Monarch Tractor is “betting the farm” that existing small farm operators will more easily accept an autonomous tractor if the machine can leverage their investment in existing implements. Unlike many of its competitors that are bringing single-purpose robotic agriculture platforms to market, the Monarch philosophy is centered around the ubiquity of the compact tractor form factor on farms worldwide. The Monarch team spent three years designing, piloting and iterating on an entirely new platform. The tractor is completely “drive
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by wire.” This enables the tractor to function autonomously, or even to be remotely operated. The tractor can also function manually just like a classic tractor. The tractor is equipped with a standard 3-point hitch, making it compatible with existing implements. However, the tractor also includes a power bus and a CAN-bus sensor connection, making the tractor “futureproof” and opening the door for innovation as manufacturers release new “smart-implements” that integrate additional sensing and intelligence. RR – Mike Oitzman
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:35 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Motus Labs Gearless Drives Create High Torque, Performance Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Motus Labs U.S. https://motus-labs.com 2018 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In September 2020, Dallas-based Motus Labs commercially released its ML1000 series of precision gear drives. The gear drives feature Motus’ proprietary M-DRIVE design that use low iction mating blocks instead of traditional gear teeth. The cam-driven blocks engage over 80% of the output ring surface area at all times, distributing load stresses over a large surface area. This enables the four models in the lineup to provide more torque for given weight and lower weight for given torque, creating rigidity and stable control over the robot.
Analysis: Motus Labs’ series of geared solutions provides value to new robotic and motion control applications due to the unique gear architecture, compact footprint, high torque density and performance. The collaborative robot market, for example, is demanding new designs that require smaller, lighter joints that rely on new enabling technologies. The increased torque density from the ML1000 series can lead to a reduction of the
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size and weight of the gear drive at every joint of a robot. This can reduce the inertia of arm links, which potentially allows robot arm manufacturers to reduce the size of the motors used, significantly reduce overall production costs and create wider adoption of their systems. RR – Steve Crowe
www.therobotreport.com
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Mars 2020 Mission a Game-changer for Future of Space Exploration Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory U.S. www.jpl.nasa.gov 1936 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance Rover landed on Mars. The fi h robotic rover traveled 292.5 million miles om Earth to Mars. Developed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the rover is exploring Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago, and searching for microfossils in rocks and soil. Attached to Perseverance was the Ingenuity Helicopter. Weighing just 4 lb, Ingenuity features four carbon-fiber blades arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm – many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth. At press time, Ingenuity completed five test flights on Mars, becoming the first aircra in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.
Analysis: Perseverance is the most sophisticated rover NASA ever built, following in the footsteps of Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity. The Mars 2020 Mission was full of firsts, including the first powered, controlled flight, the first recordings of sound on Mars and much more. Safely landing anything after a 292.5 million mile journey is impressive in itself, but Perseverance took things one step further by using terrain relative navigation
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to autonomously determine the best landing location on Mars. And powered flight is difficult to achieve on Mars because its atmosphere is 99% less dense than Earth’s. NASA JPL’s execution of the Mars 2020 Mission has been nearly flawless. It is one of the greatest technological feats ever and has changed the future of space exploration. RR – Steve Crowe
www.therobotreport.com
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Oculii’s Intelligent Software Increases Resolution, Sensitivity and Range of Radar Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Oculii U.S. www.oculii.com 2014 40 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Oculii introduced two radar sensors incorporating the company’s AI-powered Virtual Aperture Imaging so ware that allows any radar to dynamically adapt and dramatically increase its resolution. At 5 x 5 cm and consuming less than 2.5W, the FALCON is well suited for costsensitive advanced driver-assist systems, industrial robots, and aerial drones. The EAGLE is a commercial 4D imaging radar designed for autonomous navigation capable of generating highresolution visibility of more than 350 meters in all directions regardless of fog, rain, dirt, or other sensor obstruction.
Analysis: Although radar is the most widely used visibility technology in the industry today, improving radar resolution has traditionally been based on a hardware approach (adding more antennas). This significantly increases cost, size,
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and power consumption of the sensors. Because of its software, Oculii’s radar solutions can deliver high resolution and long-range sensing in a more compact, low power, and less costly package. RR – Dan Kara
www.therobotreport.com
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APPLICATION and MARKET INNOVATION — Healthcare
Open Robotics’ RoMi-H Simplifies Control of Heterogeneous Fleets Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Open Robotics U.S. www.openrobotics.org 2012 11-50 Application and Market Innovation Healthcare
Description: Robotic Middleware for Healthcare (RoMi-H) is an open-source system built on ROS 2 and simulated using Gazebo. It creates uniform communication and monitoring across heterogeneous fleets of robots, sensors and enterprise information systems. Open Robotics, the company behind ROS, recently deployed RoMi-H at Changi General Hospital in Singapore, in partnership with Singapore’s Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technology (CHART), IHiS, Hope Technik, GovTech and more. RoMi-H uses standardized communication protocols for in astructure, environments and automation where robots are deployed to optimize the use of critical resources (i.e. robots, li s, doors, passageways, etc). It adds intelligence to the system through resource allocation and by preventing conflicts over shared resources.
Analysis: As more robotics and automation technologies are introduced, interoperability needs to be front and center for every manufacturer, systems integrator, and end user. This is discussed a lot, and there are several groups discussing how to standardize this need. But Open Robotics’ RoMi-H has already applied this to a real-world robot fleet. Companies need a unified approach to
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command and control all the robots in a facility, whether it be a hospital, warehouse or manufacturing facility. They need a reliable way to develop and test multi-vendor systems in so ware simulation prior to deployment. RoMi-H is a significant step in the right direction, encouraging an open, integrated and efficient approach to developing and deploying heterogeneous robot fleet.. RR – Steve Crowe
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6/4/21 1:41 PM
TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES INNOVATION — Primary or Applied Research
“Natural Intelligence” the Basis for Opteran Technologies’ Machine Autonomy Solutions Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Opteran Technologies U.K. www.opteran.com 2020 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Primary or Applied Research
Description: Opteran Technologies has developed a suite of vision-based, edge compute products for robots and other autonomous machines based on eight years of honeybee research at the University of Sheffield. Recently the company announced its Opteran Development Kit (ODK) that includes two so ware-stabilized cameras for panoramic vision weighing 30g and only drawing a few watts of power. The ODK also integrates Opteran See technology that provides 360-degree image-stabilized panoramic vision and Opteran Sense, which calculates optic flow across the entire field of vision for obstacle avoidance and velocity estimation. Two additional components, Opteran Decide for autonomous decision making and Opteran Direct for SLAM, are forthcoming.
Analysis: Many machine autonomy solutions rely on Deep Learning, using massive datasets in enormous datacenters to generate autonomy software trained using statistical methods and complicated pattern matching. This approach has a number of drawbacks, including technical complexity, cost and difficulty scaling. Opteran Technologies leveraged honeybee research to understand how tiny, real brains
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deliver complex autonomy. The algorithms and chipsets inspired by this work power Opteran’s vision based autonomy solutions - small, lightweight, ultra-low power – that are edge only and do not rely on large datasets or even training. Opteran’s solution, which it broadly deems “natural intelligence,” provides for efficient, robust, and scalable machine autonomy for a number of common autonomy tasks. RR – Dan Kara
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6/9/21 7:53 AM
APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Mining
Orica Automates Blast Hole Charging to Improve Consistency, Safety Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Orica Limited Australia www.orica.com 1874 10,000+ Application & Market Innovation Mining
Description: In December 2020, Orica launched Avatel, an automated and mechanized blast hole charging system for the underground mining market. The innovative Avatel solution enables a single operator to prepare and charge explosives om the safety of an enclosed cabin, several meters om the rock faces and out of harm’s way.
Analysis: Mining has always been dangerous work. Orica has been supplying explosives to the Australian goldfields for more than 150 years, and is a global leader in blasting and productivity solutions. The Avatel is a stateof-the-art machine that combines all of Orica’s knowledge and experience with the latest in robotic technology. Avatel will help reduce errors and improve the consistency in the charging process while making one of the most dangerous tasks in mining safer for the charging operator. The Avatel looks
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like a mechanical incarnation of Edward Scissorhands, and mechanizes the entire charging process. The entire machine can be operated by a single operator, which helps to eliminate any additional miners from the immediate area during the charging process. More people are killed or injured each year in the mining industry than any other industry, so innovations like the Orica Avatel help to save lives and reduce risks while improving productivity. A win-win for everyone involved. RR – Mike Oitzman
June 2021
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Consumer
Ottonomy Delivers to Passengers Waiting at Airport Gates Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Ottonomy U.S. www.ottonomy.io 2020 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Consumer
Description: Ottonomy is bringing the concept of last-mile delivery to the unique use case of airline passengers waiting to board an airplane. Using autonomous delivery pods and a smartphone app, Ottonomy enables airline passengers to securely order fast-food, snacks, and gi s om in-terminal vendors and have the items securely delivered to the passenger waiting at an airline gate. If the airplane loads while waiting for the delivery and you miss the pick up, no problem the item is returned and your fee is refunded.
Analysis: Ottonomy did its market research. The airline terminal delivery application is novel, yet it combines mature technologies that are ready for use. An airline terminal is a self-contained, well-defined space. Unlike a street or sidewalk, the climate inside an airline terminal is environmentally controlled, and the biggest obstacles for an autonomous mobile robot are moving
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people, electric carts, and luggage bags. The floor surface in an airline terminal is also designed for wheelchairs and carts, making it easy for the Ottomony delivery pods to maneuver around the facility. Ottonomy is providing a win-win service to both weary travelers and to airline terminal vendors. RR – Mike Oitzman
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:45 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D Provides No Compromise 3D Reconstruction of Objects in Motion Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Photoneo Slovakia www.photoneo.com 2013 101-500 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D, an IP65-rated 3D camera for scanning objects in rapid motion, is based on Photoneo’s patented technology called “Parallel Structured Light.” Implemented by a custom CMOS image sensor, the MotionCam-3D can capture objects moving up to 144 km/h and provide a high-quality 3D reconstruction with a point cloud resolution and with a high level of detail on edges. In addition to capturing dynamic scenes, MotionCam-3D offers modes for scanning static scenes and a 2D mode for texture images without 3D information.
Analysis: The capture and 3D reconstruction of objects in motion is challenging, typically requiring a tradeoff between good quality or high speed. MotionCam-3D’s ability to capture and reconstruct objects moving quickly and unpredictably with high resolution and accuracy makes it suitable for many common industrial applications such as bin-picking and belt-picking, machine tending, quality
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control and more. Perhaps more importantly, Photoneo’s MotionCam-3D opens up completely new opportunities for automation both for the imaging and handling of objects in motion (including employing machine learning), but also the sensing and monitoring of dynamic operating environments themselves. RR – Dan Kara
June 2021
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90%
faster gripper change SWS Quick-change System
3°
Up to maximum deflection
TCU Tolerance Compensation Unit
NEW: Up to higher gripping force
50%
© 2021 SCHUNK Intec, Inc
PGN-plus-P Universal Gripper
Everything for your Articulating Arm Robot More than 3,000 components for handling and assembly.
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6/7/21 10:44 AM
APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Transportation
Plus Demonstrates Value of L4 for Trucking and Paves Way for Fully Autonomous Driving Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Plus U.S. www.plus.ai 2016 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Transportation
Description: Plus is beginning the mass production PlusDrive, a driver-in, Supervised Level 4 (SL4) automated driving system designed for Class 8 trucks that can be installed on existing vehicles or built into new trucks (over 10,000 pre-orders, according to the company). Truck drivers can activate PlusDrive with the push of a button to help them handle the most tiring and error-prone parts of driving long-haul, including sitting in traffic, switching lanes, handling merges, and driving at night or over long, monotonous distances.
Analysis: PlusDrive has been under test since December 2020 with SF Express, China’s largest logistics company. Plus reports that the ongoing pilot program has logged over 62,000 miles of supervised autonomous driving with zero safety-related disengagements and a 20% reduction in fuel costs. These statistics, which approximate the results of earlier testing
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programs, also translate into reduced driver turnover, fewer accidents and fatalities, and lower carbon emissions for Class 8 transportation work. Plus’ SL4 PlusDrive solution, and the data generated from realworld operation, will also pave the way for the development of the next generation of fully autonomous, driver-out systems. RR – Dan Kara
June 2021
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Manufacturing
Prophesee Debuts Metavision Intelligence Suite SDK as Part of Ecosystem for Event-Based Visioning Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Prophesee France www.prophesee.ai 2010 51-100 Application & Market Innovation Manufacturing
Description: In September 2020, Prophesee made available its Metavision Intelligence Suite, a development toolkit that includes 100 algorithms available through APIs, 67 code samples and 11 opensource, use-case specific application modules for designing and implementing event-based vision technology in machine vision systems. This “initial offering”, the result of 5 years of work, is comprised of three components – Player, Designer, and SDK – and will be constantly expanded with new use cases modules and code.
Analysis: Today’s machine vision systems, based on a form of frame-based imaging invented in the 1880s, capture everything going on in a scene at a fixed rate, taxing computing resources and complicating analysis as a result. Conversely, the bio-inspired, event-based sensing systems capture only what changes in a scene, which reduces computational load, and delivers low latency, high resolution imaging with lower power and processing requirements.
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Event-based imaging has a huge potential for automating tasks in environments where traditional cameras are challenged, such as for low light applications requiring lowlatency, high speed, and high dynamic range sensing. With its Metavision Intelligence Suite, Prophesee gives engineers a huge leg up for developing and implementing these systems. RR – Dan Kara
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:49 PM
APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Construction
QLayers Transforms Manual Method of Coating Large Industrial Surfaces Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Qlayers Netherlands www.qlayers.com 2019 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Construction
Description: In February 2021, QLayers launched its 10Q painting robot that is designed to coat large industrial surfaces. The semi-autonomous system can paint up to 2,150 square feet per hour. The system’s patented shielding system on the robot allows coating surfaces with high precision, accurate layer thickness and high transfer efficiency of up to 90%. It can paint tanks that are a maximum of 99 feet high and claims to have less than 1% overspray outside of the robot’s hood. QLayers developed the system in partnership with Van der Ende Steel Protectors Group, which was founded in 1929 and is one of the largest Dutch specialists in the protection of steel against corrosion.
Analysis: When it comes to maintaining and protecting steel surfaces against corrosion, precision and coating quality are essential. Current manual application methods, such as spray coating or application by rollers, have shown many drawbacks as they are laborious, timeconsuming and hazardous for people and the environment. Long-term exposure to chemicals
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found in anti-corrosion coatings can cause chronic health issues due to the paint toxicity. The 10Q robot from QLayers is an innovative solution that transforms the traditional method of coating large-scale industrial surfaces into a fully controlled, efficient, and safe process. RR – Steve Crowe
June 2021
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Qualcomm Robotics’ RB5 Provides High End Compute, Edge AI, 5G and More for Robotics Developers Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Qualcomm Technologies U.S. www.qualcomm.com 1986 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In June 2020, Qualcomm Technologies released its RB5 AI-enabled 5G robotics ‘platform.’ The RB5 consists of a set of hardware, so ware, and a rich set of development tools optimized for all classes of robotics systems and drones - consumer, commercial, defense, and industrial. The RB5 platform is available in multiple options, including several chip-on-board and system-onmodule designs.
Analysis: At first blush, the RB5 could be considered just an upgrade from Qualcomm’s RB3 platform that was released in February 2019. Yes, the RB5 provides multiple incremental improvements over its RB3 predecessor including multiple cameras and extra processing power for machine learning and computer vision work, but the platform also provides a whole range of new features. Most
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critical is the RB5’s built-in support for both 4G LTE and 5G connectivity via a companion module. This makes the RB5 especially suitable for drones and robots deployed outdoors where high-end compute at the edge and 5G’s secure low latency connectivity are critical for perception, localization, mapping, and navigation. RR – Dan Kara
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:51 PM
APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Energy
RE2 Robotics Automates Solar Field Deployments Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
RE2 Robotics U.S. www.resquared.com 2001 51-100 Application & Market Innovation Energy
Description: RE2 Robotics is being recognized as a leader with the development of a robotic solution for autonomous deployment of solar fields. The Outdoor Autonomous Manipulation of Photovoltaic Panels (O-AMPP) robotic system is capable of both autonomously delivering and installing photovoltaic (PV) modules. The O-AMPP base unit consists of the RE2 Sapien robotic manipulator fixed to the top of a large unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). This platform is capable of maneuvering in the tight spaces between PV arrays to deliver a new set of PV panels to the installation site. Using computer vision, the system registers the target installation location and uses the Sapien arm to lift a PV panel and install it into the array.
Analysis: RE2 combines a variety of state-of-the-art technologies to help increase the productivity of solar panel installers. Commercial PV installations are growing at a record rate, and the market is currently understaffed with installers to meet the demand for green power. A solar plant can require the installation of hundreds of thousands of panels. RE2 solves this market need with a
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completely automated PV panel installation solution. No other autonomous solution exists in the market. O-AMPP acts as an assistive device, taking on the intensive task of picking and placing PV panels, while workers carry out finer tasks such as wiring, laying cable runs, and validating plant performance. RR – Mike Oitzman
www.therobotreport.com
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BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT INNOVATION — Social Good
READY Academy Helps Address Skilled Labor Shortage Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
READY Robotics U.S. www.ready-robotics.com/ 2016 11-50 Business and Management Innovation Social Good
Description: In October 2020, a er a trial with the East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI), READY Robotics launched its READY Academy to the general public. The ee, online educational platform is designed to teach manufacturing professionals how to design, program, deploy, manage and scale automation. It includes 75-plus hours of original educational videos, covering everything om project assessment, end-of-arm tooling, parts presentation, robot safety, robot programming, building machine tending tasks, and more. READY Academy also enables students to learn to program multiple brands of robots.
Analysis: READY Academy addresses the skilled labor shortage affecting the manufacturing industry by enabling anyone to learn the skills needed to design and deploy automation. The skilled labor shortage limiting manufacturing productivity is expected to grow to 2.4 million unfilled jobs by 2028. And the current educational system is insufficient to teach advanced manufacturing
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skills needed, much less the robot programming skills needed to support the deployment of automation at a scale. READY Robotics believes education and ease of use are keys to unlocking automation for a wider variety of manufacturers. And the READY Academy could play a critical role in addressing the skilled labor shortage. RR – Steve Crowe
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:54 PM
APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Transportaion
rideOS Develops Traffic Control Center for Autonomous Vehicles Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
rideOS U.S. http://rideos.ai 2017 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Transporation
Description: The rideOS platform provides an end-to-end mobility solution, with flexible routing, optimization, and dispatch technologies. The entire stack leverages a state-of-the-art routing engine with support for custom maps, dynamic operational domain limitations, and tunable costing of roads and turns. rideOS can combine the customization with real-time traffic awareness for better route optimization and accurate travel time estimation.
Analysis: Developers of autonomous vehicles want to deploy their vehicles to do productive work in a fleet. However, their core competencies are in robotics, safety, and manufacturing. Mobility service providers want to welcome automated vehicles into their fleets, but they often license routing technologies that assume all vehicles are human-operated. Such atypical routing decisions introduce
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fleet efficiency challenges that are not handled by most mobility platforms. Dispatch decisions are challenging when route predictions are wrong, and individual vehicle performance suffers when vehicles follow naive routes within their limited operational domains. These barriers to deployment can be broken down by the rideOS platform to help get autonomous vehicles doing efficient and productive work. RR – Steve Crowe
June 2021
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
General Release of Rocos Makes Unified Control Available for Robotic Systems Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Rocos Australia https://rocos.io 2017 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Rocos generally released its new cloud-based robotic management platform in 2020. The system has a pluggable architecture that enables new robots to connect to the Rocos solution within minutes, without any code changes. The solution enables remote intervention of robotic systems at scale, all om a unified user interface.
Analysis: Rocos is bridging the gap between robot manufacturers and enterprise robotic users to enable the unified management of heterogeneous fleets of robots. Across all industries, enterprises are deploying any number of autonomous mobile robots from a variety of manufacturers. Imagine a retail store with a floor cleaning robot, an inventory robot and a security robot, all from different manufacturers. Each vendor supplies its own proprietary management tool optimized for its specific solution. Robot users currently have to
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control each unit with its own specific app. Rocos helps an enterprise user control all of the robots in the system through a unified interface to enable remote teleoperation, precision intervention, and a consistent and secure API. This enables the user to recover and restart a system om a remote location, all over the web. In addition, Rocos can also be leveraged by any specific robot vendor who needs to deliver robots-as-a-service (RaaS) functionality, without the need to develop the supervisory RaaS functions om scratch. RR – Mike Oitzman
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 1:58 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
ROEQ Enables Instant Communication Between Devices with GuardCom Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
ROEQ Denmark www.roeq.dk 2017 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In 2020, ROEQ launched its latest innovation, GuardCom, to solve the need for instant, secure communication between an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) payload and a fixed conveyor docking station. GuardCom enables seamless communication between an AMR and a conveyor to effortlessly and autonomously transfer cargo between them.
Analysis: Active, roller-top payloads are one of the most popular solutions that ROEQ sells for AMRs. A roller-top conveyor may be simple in design, but in practical implementation, triggering the cargo-exchange interaction between an AMR and a conveyor docking station has to be done wirelessly. ROEQ learned the hard way that WiFi communication, position sensors, contact sensors and many other event triggering options all present inconsistent failure modes. The GuardCom system uses a proven and robust, coded light sensor technology to enable
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communication between a device attached to the top roller on an AMR and a device attached to a stationary conveyor station. GuardCom signals to the conveyor system that the AMR is in place and ready to receive or deliver goods. The communication between devices is secure, safe and instantaneous. The net result is a robust, wireless, event-signaling solution that improves the productivity of conveyance AMRs and delivers a fault-tolerant mode of communication between devices. RR – Mike Oitzman
www.therobotreport.com
June 2021
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Miniature Actuator with Integrated Servo Drive
The Servo Drive is Inside!
The compact RSF-5 miniature actuator with a zero backlash Harmonic Drive® gear delivers high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. The actuator features an integrated servo drive utilizing CANopen® communication. This evolutionary product eliminates the need for an external drive and greatly improves wiring while retaining high-positional accuracy and torsional stiffness in a compact housing. This new miniature actuator is ideal for use in robotics. • Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive utilizing CANopen communication conforming to DS402 and DS301 • 24VDC Nominal +7 to +30VDC Supply Voltage Range • Single Axis BLDC Motor Controller/Driver with CAN & TTL-UART Interface • Field Oriented Control • Single Cable with only 4 conductors needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC
• Zero Backlash • Pigtail Connectors with 2 exit options • 14bit (16384 cpr) resolution motor encoder • Control Modes Including Torque, Velocity, and Position Control, CSP, CSV, CST • Harmonic Drive HDL Software for initial tuning, commissioning, and analysis • Homing modes include: single-ended, doubleended, double-ended with 16bit autoscale hardstop homing or teachable position
42 Dunham Ridge, Beverly, MA 01915 | 800.921.3332 | www.HarmonicDrive.net Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive LLC. CANopen is a registered trademark of CAN in Automation.
DW RSF-5Drive Integrated Ad 9x10.875.indd 1 Harmonic 6-21.indd 118
4/22/21 10:45 3:31 AM PM 6/7/21
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
SBG Systems’ Tiny Ellipse-D Inertial Sensor Provides Precise Heading and Centimeter Level Position Accuracy Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
SBG Systems France www.sbg-systems.com 2007 51-100 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: SBG Systems has released the Ellipse-D, an affordable and tiny Inertial Navigation System (INS) featuring an integrated Dual-antenna RTK GNSS receiver providing highly accurate navigation and orientation data (roll, pitch, heading, position and velocity). The Ellipse-D, which benefits om a 64-bit architecture capable of supporting high precision signal processing, is tested and calibrated to operate in challenging environmental conditions.
Analysis: The Ellipse-D provides high-end performance and reliability without compromising on its optimized SWaP-C profile (size, weight, power consumption, and cost). Different variants of the Ellipse-D are available for OEMs and integrators, and the included D So ware Development Kit incorporates an online ROS driver. Taken together, the Ellipse-D provides
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developers of unmanned systems – aerial, ground and surface – with a cost effective, fully integrated inertial navigation solution that delivers the precise heading and centimeter level position accuracy formally limited to more expensive and sizable form factors. As such, the Ellipse-D opens up the possibility for new classes of autonomous applications and system types. RR – Dan Kara
June 2021
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From Customer Concept to Complete OEM Sensor Solution
CHNOLOG Y TE BY
HBK is your partner to design single and multicomponent sensors for use in robotic surgical and industrial equipment measuring system forces. Whether it’s a multi-axis measurement on a joint, force feedback on an actuator, or grip control on a manipulator, HBK is your partner to design and manufacture highly customized OEM sensor solutions. Learn more on: www.hbm.com/oemsensors
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
SCHUNK’s Plug & Work Portfolios Simplify and Speed Cobot Deployments Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
SCHUNK Germany www.schunk.com 1945 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In 2020, SCHUNK released its Plug & Work Portfolio, a collection of electric and pneumatic grippers, quick-change modules, and force/moment sensors that are compatible with collaborative robotics systems om Universal Robots (19 variants), Doosan Robotics (11 variants), and Techman Robot (14 variants). The Plug & Work modules are optimized for robot arms of the respective manufacturers.
Analysis: When collaborative robots were first introduced, their key value proposition was ease of set-up and integration, ease of programming and ease of use, with the concomitant benefits of fast deployment, greater flexibility and reduced operational costs. This was and is true, but “easy” is a relative term. Compared to traditional industrial robotics platforms, collaborative robots are, on the whole, easier to deploy and utilize. Still, for many businesses, especially those
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small-to-medium manufacturers that were the primary target for collaborative robotics systems early on, collaborative robots are still too difficult to deploy and program/reprogram even for common manufacturing tasks. SCHUNK addresses this problem with its Plug & Work Portfolio by providing highquality electric and pneumatic gripping solutions and supporting modules for a wide range of applications that are easy to use and guaranteed to work with their respective cobot arms. RR – Dan Kara
June 2021
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Seoul Robotics ‘Discovery’ Democratizes LiDAR-Based 3D Sensing Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Seoul Robotics South Korea www.seoulrobotics.org 2017 30 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Seoul Robotics recently released its first products, a family of “Lidar Processing Units,” each engineered for different applications, named Discovery. Discovery, which is sensor agnostic, is powered by the company’s proprietary SENSR computer vision so ware, which uses machine learning applied to 3D LiDAR data for object detection, tracking, classification.
Analysis: LiDAR technology is commonly used in selfdriving cars and mobile robots for object detection and autonomous navigation. A number of companies provide LiDAR hardware, LiDAR so ware or both, for these markets. O en expensive and proprietary, these siloed systems have limited applicability for many emerging applications and use cases – IoT environment monitoring for example – that could benefit om 3D sensing.
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With its Discovery product line, Seoul Robotics offers a cost effective, powerful and efficient AI-powered 3D sensing solution that is compatible with over 70 different 3D sensors from various suppliers such as Velodyne, LiDAR, Ouster, and Innoviz Technologies. As such, Discovery can increase the number of new applications and use cases to which LiDAR-based 3D sensing can be applied. RR – Dan Kara
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 2:02 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
SICK LiDAR-LOC Enables Contour-Based Navigation on Mobile Robotics Platforms Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
SICK U.S. www.sick.com 1946 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In September 2020, SICK released its LiDAR-LOC (Localization On Contour), a so ware solution through which companies can implement contour-based localization – and, hence, navigation - on any automated guided vehicle, cart, forkli or service robot equipped with SICK’s LMS, TiM and NAV 2D LiDAR sensors, along with SICK safety scanners, such as the microScan3.
Analysis: The tenants of Industry 4.0 emphasize flexibility, but in many cases companies with deployed mobile robots use reflectors, tracks, magnetic strips or other fixed, inflexible fiducials as localization references for navigation. SICK is a market-leading sensor provider, and as a result many of these mobile systems are using SICK 2D LiDAR sensors or safety scanners.
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With SICK LiDAR-LOC software running on a SICK Sensor Integration Machine, these systems can be retrofitted to support flexible, contour-based navigation using data pulled from the existing sensors. The navigation paths of these systems can be altered as needs dictate without the cost and delay of installing new fixed, physical localization markers. RR – Dan Kara
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ROBOTICS R&D
DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY. DRIVING INNOVATION. Our engineers collaborate with leading energy, infrastructure and industrial companies to develop and deliver complex robotics, innovative inspection technology, robotics-as-a-service (RAAS), unmanned systems, and machine learning. ULC Technologies focuses on delivering commercial solutions that enable our customers to move faster, work smarter and reduce costs.
READY TO TALK TO OUR TEAM? Contact us at 1-631-667-9200 or learn more at ulctechnologies.com.
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Services Introduction
Siemens Accelerating Innovation for Autonomous Vehicle Startups Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Siemens Germany https://www.siemens.com/global/en.html 1847 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Services Introduction
Description: Siemens Digital Industries So ware and MaRS Discovery District, a Toronto-based innovation hub, partnered to provide over 1,400 Canadian science and technology companies with access to Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of so ware and services to support and accelerate the development of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies. Some of the products being offered in the portfolio include so ware for 3D CAD, simulation, and design management.
Analysis: The rise of autonomous and connected vehicles is changing the way the vehicles are designed, manufactured and tested. The design and simulation software provided by Siemens will help companies in the MaRS ecosystem conduct early design development and advanced verification of autonomous function and performance systems. Startups at the forefront of innovation encounter complex design challenges. It’s vital they have a foundation of digital technology that enables expansion and
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growth as company needs evolve. Having data management and simulation tools they can use from the beginning of their journeys, which can enable traceability, collaboration and early design validation, can improve product delivery and success. Siemens’ industry-leading technology can help the MaRS community to speed innovation in the areas of autonomous and connected vehicle development. RR – Steve Crowe
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Ideal for robotics applications, our super-slim crossed roller bearings can handle complex loads simultaneously from any direction. And, thanks to mounting holes on the inner and outer rings, you can add these bearings to your robots or other industrial equipment quickly and easily for a highly rigid and accurate low-cost joint.
COMPACT RIGID & EASY TO MOUNT To learn more, visit ikont.com/CRB
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
SLAMcore SpatialAI SDK Enables WorldClass Perception Using Low-Cost Hardware Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
SLAMcore United Kingdom www.slamcore.com 2016 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: SLAMcore released the SpatialAI SDK in 2021 to enable high quality perception for autonomous mobile robots. The toolkit allows roboticists to combine proprietary visual positioning algorithms with state-of-the-art calibration and fusion algorithms and complementary tools that use data from low-cost sensors and run on low-power processors such as Raspberry Pi.
Analysis: SLAMcore’s mission is to level the playing field for all AMR providers while delivering highquality spatial awareness of an AMR to its surroundings. An AMR needs to know about the world around it to effectively and safely navigate through it. SLAMcore:Perceive is at the core of the solution and enables semantic understanding of the world by identifying walls, tables, people and even other robots.
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The SLAMcore solution enables an AMR developer to quickly integrate and deploy a powerful full stack spatial AI-based SLAM solution while leveraging consumer grade sensors and compute platforms. This technology lowers the barrier to entry and enables innovation in mobile robotic solutions, while reducing the overall cost to the end user. RR – Mike Oitzman
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Cori Surgical System for Knee Replacements Creates Better Outcomes Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Smith and Nephew Inc. U.S. https://www.smith-nephew.com 2016 (robotics division) 10,000+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Smith and Nephew’s Cori Surgical System for knee replacements is a pioneering robotic navigation system that obtains all the information that a surgeon needs in real time during the procedure. No pre-operative CT scans or MRIs are needed. The heart of the Cori Surgical System is the ATRACSYS tracking system. The compact ATRACSYS fusionTrack 500 is composed of two cameras designed to detect and track fiducials (reflective spheres, disks and/or IR-LEDs) with high precision in real time video streams. Triangulation enables retrieving 3D position of each fiducial with sub-millimeter accuracy.
Analysis: During the knee replacement procedure, the CORI system works in conjunction with a surgeon’s skilled hands to achieve accurate positioning of the knee implant based on the patient’s unique anatomy. The process starts with the surgeon registering the existing knee topology using the robotics-assisted hand piece. With that information, the system calculates the perfect fit of the implant and
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instructs the surgeon on how much material needs to be removed and exactly where to remove the material in order to prepare the ideal surface for the implant. The CORI Surgical System enables a surgeon to more precisely fit an implant, which in turn produces better outcomes for the patient and a shorter recovery time. RR – Mike Oitzman
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Agriculture
Tevel Aerobotics Gets Off Ground to Help Orchard Owners Pick Ripe Fruit Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Tevel Aerobotics Technologies Israel www.tevel-tech.com 2016 11-50 Application & Market Innovation Agriculture
Description: In 2020, Tevel Aerobotics demonstrated the ability to use a tethered drone to pick ripe uit using vision and AI. The innovation is a combination of AI-vision to identi ripe uit and a tethered drone for continuous harvesting operations. The Tevel drones are tethered to the battery in an autonomous mobile base that enables the drones to fly continuously without stopping to recharge.
Analysis: Tevel developed a drone-based solution that uses vision and AI to determine if uit is ripe and then pick it om the tree using an attached arm and gripper. The solution is designed for the uit tree harvesting market as uit farmers struggle to hire seasonal pickers and the work requires dexterity and extended reach to acquire uit high in the tree. The fruit gripper is also novel in the spinning motion used to remove fruit from
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the branch. The heart of the system, however, is the AI-based vision system that can identify when the fruit is ripe and perfect for picking. The company is initially focusing on the apple tree market, however, the system can also pick peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots. The company has deployed to orchards in Israel in 2020 and is expanding to Spain in 2021. RR – Mike Oitzman
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Robotics Applications Require Flex Rate Cable Alpha Wire’s Xtra-Guard® Flex offers a wide variety of flexing applications. These long-lasting flex cables are designed to provide excellent performance in high-flex, high torsion and continuous-flex applications especially with robotics. Available in a variety of configurations allowing exactly the right cable to be selected for the application. These cables are rated up to 14 million flex life cycles (85000 series), up to 6 Million flex life cycles (86000 series). Alpha Wire’s EcoFlex® PUR are abrasion, UV, and oil resistant. They contain a tough, zero-halogen Polyurethane jacket. This flex cable is 40% smaller and 44% lighter than other 600V continuous flex cables. With its rugged PUR jacket and finely stranded conductors, EcoFlex PUR cable provides 8+ million flex cycles in tough application conditions—while saving space and reducing weight.
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Utilities
ULC Technologies Improves Roadwork Excavation With All-Electric Autonomous Excavation Robot Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
ULC Technologies U.S. www.ulctechnologies.com 2001 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Utilities
Description: ULC Technologies introduced the the Robotic Roadworks and Excavation System (RRES) project in 2020. RRES combines an industrial robotic arm, an all-electric track drive system, belowground locating sensors, artificial intelligence, machine vision and new vacuum excavation methods for safer, faster and autonomous roadworks and street excavation.
Analysis: Working in collaboration with UK-gas network SGN, ULC Technologies developed the allelectric robotic system to revolutionize the way that utility companies, energy networks and other industries carry out roadworks. The heart of the system is an industrial robotic manipulator along with a variety of end-of-arm tools that enable the system to autonomously perform all of the roadwork excavation and backfill operations. The system starts by locating and mapping the target assets underground. It then cuts out
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a road core and excavates soil with a unique vacuum evaluation head. After the pipeline or cableway repairs are made, RRES helps to backfill the excavation, compress soil and replace the road surface core. The system uses machine learning and vision guidance to position all of the tooling and to plan the entire excavation operation. RRES is a novel, automated solution to the everyday operations of roadworks departments around the world. RR – Mike Oitzman
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CLOSING THE CIRCLE.
Production and intralogistics in harmony. Once considered two distinct disciplines, now these areas are growing closer and closer. The prerequisite for a smart, networked production. SICK, with their 360° approach, represents optimization of the entire value-creation chain. So the circle is completed – and production logistics gets smart. We think that’s intelligent. www.sick.com/production-logistics
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TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
Universal Robots’ ActiNav Simplifies Machine-Loading Applications Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Universal Robots A/S Denmark www.universal-robots.com 2005 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: Universal Robots in April 2020 launched its ActiNav machine loading kit for bin-picking and machine-tending applications. ActiNav is a “plug-and-produce” UR+ application kit that makes it easier to deploy collaborative robots for common applications. ActiNav requires a UR5e or UR10e cobot, an end effector of the user’s choice, and an applicationspecific ame or fixture. The kit includes the ActiNav so ware and autonomous motion module controller, the URCap user interface so ware, along with a choice of 3D sensors. The ActiNav system can handle vision processing, collision- ee motion planning, and autonomous real-time robot control.
Analysis: Autonomous bin picking is a common robotics application, but it is rarely, if ever, referred to as “easy to use.” Deploying autonomous bin picking systems usually requires integration and programming efforts customers can’t do themselves. ActiNav changed that as It doesn’t require programming expertise to deploy. ActiNav uses a teach-by-demonstration approach via a wizard-guided setup process on the cobot’s
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teach pendant. The system can be deployed in less than two hours. ActiNav mirrors the mantra of the other UR+ application kits: make it easier for customers to deploy automation and lower their risk. In addition, Universal Robots’ applicationoriented solutions help with continuous product introductions, an expanding customer base, and new revenue streams. RR – Steve Crowe
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APPLICATION & MARKET INNOVATION — Manufacturing
Vention’s Manufacturing Automation Platform Simplifies Deployment of Automation Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Vention Canada www.vention.io 2016 101-500 Application & Market Innovation Manufacturing
Description: Vention’s manufacturing automation platform (MAP) simplifies the process of designing industrial automation equipment. Vention has modularized (and digitized) all of the various components so that they are easy to layout within an online, 3D design tool. MAP includes digital twins of the linear motion components, safety equipment, tooling, filtering, ame elements and more. At the end of a design session, the user is able to output a bill of materials for the workcell and order it all directly om Vention.
Analysis: Vention is closing the loop on the complete design, automate, order, deploy lifecycle. Vention lowers the barrier to entry and delivers an end-to-end modular automation solution for manufacturers who might not have been able to make the leap to industrial automation with prior options. It also enables non-industrial engineers to design, spec and program an automation work cell.
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With a focus on ease of use and speed, MA) empowers any manufacturing professional to become an automation specialist. MAP is ideal for manufacturers with low volume and high mix production who can’t afford the technologies conceived for those with higher throughput. In this case, there simply is not enough volume to payback the required investment. RR – Mike Oitzman
THE ROBOT REPORT
6/4/21 2:14 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Primary or Applied Research
Verizon Delivers Foundation of Better Wireless Communication for Mobile Robots Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Verizon New Business Incubation U.S. https://www.verizon.com/about/ new-business-incubation 2000 500+ Technology, Services & Research Innovation Primary or Applied Research
Description: Verizon is incubating cutting-edge robotics solutions fueled by the inherent orchestration power of 5G wireless. Verizon is a leading provider of 5G wireless infrastructure in the U.S. 5G connectivity is now a viable option for industrial mobile robot developers to enable wireless communication with individual vehicles in industrial or consumer settings.
Analysis: In 2020, Verizon incubated a number of robotics-based 5G projects. But in one notable project, a partner company offloaded compute from multiple autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to the Mobile Edge Compute (MEC), and orchestrated them via centralized, MEC-based microservices. The AMRs relied on a centralized, shared 3D map for navigation and routing, and fed near real-time updates to the map to ensure its accuracy. As a direct result of the reliability and speed of the network and the accuracy of the map, the company was able to reduce
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onboard sensors to one single off-theshelf stereo camera per device, with visual positioning performed on the MEC. The MEC maintained precise knowledge of the autonomous mobile robots’ locations and used complex algorithms and ultra-fast processing to dynamically and safely adjust their routes. This is just one example of how the speed and stability of 5G connectivity will be able to help AMR companies enhance their capabilities and improve their operations in the future. RR – Mike Oitzman
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APPLICATION AND MARKET INNOVATION — Transportation
Waymo Launches World’s First Robotaxi Service Without Safety Drivers Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
Waymo U.S. www.waymo.com 2009 (formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project) 1500+ Application and Market Innovation Transportation
Description: In October 2020, Waymo opened its Level 4 driverless robotaxi service, called Waymo One, to the general public in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The driverless Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans operate in about a 50-square-mile area in the suburbs of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe. Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles around Phoenix for years. Since 2017, some of the cars have had nobody behind the wheel, but that was only for certain tests and select riders. But now anybody can take a paid ride in a Waymo One driverless robotaxi around the clock, seven days a week.
Analysis: With the public launch last year, Waymo became the first company in the world to open a Level 4 driverless robotaxi service without safety drivers to the general public. Although the launch was a bit behind schedule, and Waymo hasn’t scaled this service to any other locations as of press time, this was a monumental moment for the autonomous vehicle industry. The Waymo One service isn’t perfect, there are still disengagements that require Waymo employees to manually take over
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control of the vehicles. But no other company in the U.S. can match what Waymo is doing. Fellow RBR50 company AutoX recently launched China’s first L4 robotaxi service without safety drivers in Shenzhen. L4 driverless cars have arrived in the U.S., albeit in a limited capacity, thanks to Waymo. It recently ramped up its testing operations in San Francisco, and applied for a permit to charge for rides and delivery services. RR – Steve Crowe
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6/4/21 2:17 PM
TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES & RESEARCH INNOVATION — Product Introduction
WiBotic Launches WiBotic Commander for Fleet Energy Management Organization Name: Country: Website: Year Founded: Number of Employees: Innovation Class: Innovation Subclass:
WiBotic U.S. www.wibotic.com 2015 11-50 Technology, Services & Research Innovation Product Introduction
Description: In February 2021, WiBotic announced the availability of WiBotic Commander, a new so ware solution for Fleet Energy Management of mobile robots. WiBotic Commander provides an overlaying so ware layer to monitor and control the energy needs of an entire mobile robotic fleet. The solution takes into account the battery chemistry, voltage and optimal charge rate to ensure that each individual machine gets the most om its battery.
Analysis: WiBotic is one of only a handful of wireless battery charging solution providers, and WiBotic was one of the first to come to market with its wireless charging solutions. The company recently received a CE mark approval for its charging solutions and is actively expanding beyond the U.S. market into Europe. As interoperability between robots gains acceptance, the mobile robot market has expanded beyond homogeneous deployments to environments where multiple vendor solutions are operating within the same workspace on a manufacturing, warehouse
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or front-of-house retail space. Within this heterogeneous operating environment, it doesn’t take long for the active space to become cluttered with unique and proprietary charging stations for each individual robot. WiBotic offers a solution that essentially provides a “universal charging” function that every mobile robotic device can leverage to recharge its batteries. Now, with the addition of WiBotic Commander, the entire heterogeneous fleet’s energy management can be managed with a single, unified solution. RR – Mike Oitzman
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Robotics Robotics
Kevlar®- Performance protection for exterior robotic components Kevlar® woven fabrics are ideal materials for protecting exterior robotic components due to its high heat, cut and abrasion resistance. With a service temperature up to 650°F and great chemical and mildew resistance, this fabric can withstand the most extreme environments. Kevlar® as a fabric is very flexible with little stretching making it perfect for high flex applications like retractable arms. CS Hyde supplies standard Kevlar® and Kevlar aramid fabrics with woven glass fibers, as well as specialty fabrics with PTFE coating for nonstick release applications. For applications requiring fastening we also supply adhesive backed Kevlar® tapes or Kevlar® thread for high temp. sewing applications. Custom cutting, sheeting, and die cutting services also available.
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CS Hyde Company 39655 N. IL Route 83 Lake Villa, IL 60046 www.cshyde.com 800-461-4161
Fully Integrated Speed Controller, within 6.2 mm The FAULHABER BXT Flat brushless DC servo motor family has grown; now available in all sizes with a diametercompliant, integrated speed controller. With an additional attachment length of just 6.2 mm, the combination of the BXT H motors with the integrated speed controller is the ideal solution for space-confined applications, particularly if speeds need to be controlled precisely, and high torques are also required. The default factory pre-configuration, along with the Motion Manager software allows for quick and easy commissioning of the system. Typical applications include medical devices, pumps, hand-held instruments, optics systems, robotics & surgical end-effectors.
FAULHABER MICROMO www.faulhaber.com 14881 Evergreen Ave Clearwater, FL 33762 USA
800-807-9166
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FUTEK We make innovation possible FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology specializes in creating inventive sensor solutions for today’s leading tech innovators: • Load cells • Torque sensors • Pressure sensors • Multi-axis sensors • Instruments • Software Our end-to-end measurement products and services include sensors, amplifiers, and calibration, allowing you to streamline and optimize your system and achieve better results at a lower cost than legacy solutions. All our products are made in the USA. To learn more, visit www.futek.com.
FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc. 10 Thomas Irvine, CA 92618 USA www.futek.com +1 (949) 465-0900
Harmonic Drive Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive Ideal for use in robotics, the RSF miniature actuator is extremely compact and delivers high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. This evolutionary product eliminates the need for an external drive and greatly improves wiring. Since it communicates via CANopen, only 4 conductors are needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC.
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• Actuator + Integrated Servo Drive utilizing CANopen communication conforming to DS402 and DS301 • 24VDC Nominal +7 to 30VDC Supply Voltage Range • Single Axis BLDC Motor Controller/Driver with CAN & TTL-UART Interface • Single Cable with only 4 conductors needed: CANH, CANL, +24VDC, 0VDC • 14bit (16384 cpr) resolution motor encoder • Zero Backlash
42 Dunham Ridge Beverly, MA 01915 United States www.harmonicdrive.net
Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive Systems
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Robotics Robotics
JUST RELEASED: Revolutionary - Motus Labs ML1000 Series precision M-DRIVES offer a higher torque density than competing strain wave gearing with no compromise in performance. The ML1000 family of hollow shaft drives includes standard gear drive sizes ranging from 17-40. Motus Labs’ patented design utilizes a series of cam-driven blocks, instead of traditional gear teeth, that engage over 80% of the output ring surface area at all times resulting in a more rigid drive at a lower weight. The design distributes load stresses over a much larger surface area, permitting the M-DRIVE transmission to deliver up to twice the torque per unit size and volume and 15% greater efficiencies compared to strain wave drives.
Motus Labs 17815 Davenport Road Suite 130 Dallas, Texas 75252 www.motus-labs.com
Effective Tooling for Assembly Automation
Assembly tasks often present challenges! A lot happens in a small space with fast cycle times. Some suggestions for common challenges: Utilize Robot Payload – Select gripper fingers that are optimal to their payload to increase reliability and produce better assembled products. Be Flexible – Quick-change products allow tools to be changed or replaced at the robot wrist, machine table, or even the gripper fingers. Improve Cycle Time – Mechanical actuators can respond quickly to commands and move faster, thereby reducing cycle time. Reorientating Workpieces – Parts often need to be flipped or rotated to be accessed correctly as they travel through the process. Accomplish this with a reorientation station. You do not need to reinvent the wheel for every aspect of custom automation, there are many standard modular solutions to customize to your needs.
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SCHUNK: 211 Kitty Hawk Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560 info@us.schunk.com 919-572-2705
www.schunk.com
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