AUTONOMOUS PIECE PICKING ROBOTS 5

AMBIDEXTROUS AI

• Overview
•  According to Crunchbase, Ambidextrous is modifying the way robots reason with the world by developing AI-based control for object control.
• "Ambidextrous is combining Artificial Intelligence with Robotic Systems to enable the next generation of warehouses perform its piece picking seamlessly."

• Company Strategy
• The company strategy is to develop a proprietary robot grasping software that will equip robots with the capacity to grasp almost any object without training for the benefit of warehouse order fulfillment.

• Strength
• One major strength of the machine is its dexterous picking up ability.
• On observation, the robot was seen to clear bins containing about 25 previously hidden "objects at a rate of over 300 picks per hour with 95 percent reliability."


• Weakness
• From the analysis of the performance video, it is evident that the project is still in its early/testing stage and much work is yet to be done to bring it up to speed in terms of readiness to function in a warehouse.

• Market Outlook
• Ambidextrous AI has experienced rapid growth since its founding just a year ago having developed its product from the first version to the fourth version and also, having attracted the attention of pioneers in the field of robotics such as Amazon in 2018.

FIZYR

• Overview
• Fizyr claims to be the #1 in vision software for order picking and parcel handling.
• According to the company's LinkedIn page, their software is capable of detecting the material made of an object to be picked.
• The company integrates advanced vision software into robotic systems to handle different shapes, sizes, and colors of objects and makes autonomous piece picking robot that operates in varying industries such as retail, grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty fashion.

• Strategies
• As fast-growing scale-up, the company develops, supports, and maintain software for over 12 leading logistic integrator worldwide while enabling them to apply autonomous robotics.
•  Vanderlande is currently running a strategic partnership with Fizyr.

• Strength
• One advantage of the autonomous piece picking robots from Fizyr is that it is integrated with a conveyor for transportation purposes.
• Fizyr software algorithm classifies boxes, plastic bags, and all kinds of items and defines the best grasp strategy for over 100 parcels per second.

• Weakness
• A visible weakness from the analysis of the robotics video sample is the need for the warehouse to be set up in a pattern coherent with robotics conveyor system.
• Also, their robot uses the suction arm grip technique, thereby limiting the axis of operation.

• Market outlook
• "Vanderlande's CTO, Vincent Kwaks, is excited about the future of this dynamic sector. In his words, deep learning is changing our landscape over the last years, and multiple applications will benefit from these techniques. That's why we're delighted to be partnering with Fizyr to explore the potential for our robotics solutions and maybe other automation domains."

KINDRED AI

• Overview
•  Robotics Business Review listed Kindred as one of the top 50 leading robotics company.
• Kindred robotics comes with an AutoGrasp™ technology that enables it sorts a variety of items quickly and skillfully.
• The main objective of Kindred is to create a future where intelligent machines can solve valuable real-world problems.

• Strategies
•  Michelle Kim, Director of Marketing, Kindred, stated that the company is helping her customers to meet demand and create a dynamic workforce that joins automation with human skills.

• Strength
• A significant strength of the robot is its ability to works side by side with staff to quickly and accurately sort items into individual customer needs.
• The company has developed the first autonomous robot that is currently in commercial operation at Gao, Inc, e-commerce leaders, and other similar global retailers.
• "The robots arrive pre-trained and adapt to each center's unique processes, with algorithms that improve performance over time."
• Its fleets of autonomous picking robots have completed 15 million picks.

• Weakness
• A constructive analysis of the video of the machine in operation shows a limited degree of motion as the machine operates within a given radius.

• Market outlook
•  According to the Senior Vice President of GAP Global Fulfillment Logistics, Kindred smart robots provide them with the needed flexible automation solution to quickly and efficiently process their online orders.
• In May 2019, the company joined The Manhattan Automation Network, a program targeted towards speeding up "development and implementation of modern distribution center automation and robotics."
• Since its inception in 2014, Kindred has raised the sum of $44 million in funding over two rounds.

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