FINDINGS

OSARO

• The main objective of Osaro is creating successful software that automates existing robots for industrial use.
• Osaro uses simulation platforms and data storage to train, verify and test the picking systems in real-world scenarios.
• The company's mission is to develop ML software to facilitate robot learning and adapt to environmental changes.
• The major strengths include a flexible, robust and low-cost vision.
•  Osaro's strategy is to focus on their strengths being, algorithm development to empower robots with human-level intelligence for complete automation.
• A potential weakness is that Osaro doesn't have the hardware capacity.

SOFT ROBOTICS

• Soft Robotics is a robotics company that has developed new kinds of dexterous and self-adaptive robotic grippers that are plug and play, reliable and repeated.
• Soft Robotics solutions are made of soft elastomeric grippers that are air actuated, thereby facilitating industrial applications that had been otherwise impossible.
• Their target market includes warehouse logistics, complex assembly and food handling.
• Traditional grippers have three major challenges that are all addressed by the company's novel solution: adaptability, complexity and cost.

GREYORANGE

• GreyOrange is a warehousing automation company that develops, produces and deploys advanced robotic automation systems for warehouses and distribution locations.
• The company develops solutions for material handling.
• The GreyOrange system operates on ML and swarm intelligence algorithms.
• It has two products lines namely, the Butler which is an autonomous mobile platform and the Sorter which is a conveyor based sorting product.
• The core strength of GreyOrange is in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
• Their products pricing is high, which presents a potential weakness. A Sorter goes for about $70,000 — $500,000, while the Butler costs $30,000.
• GreyOrange has a 90% market share of India's automation market.
• According to the company, its AI robots can help in a 60% — 80% decrease in manpower.

COVARIANT

• Covariant AI is developing technologies that are making it easier to teach robots complex skills through recent advancements in Deep Reinforcement Learning and Deep Imitation Learning.
• The company is backed by several large supporter including Google. The Silicon Valley has also invested $7 million in the company.
• By using VR teaching tools, the company has been able to move forward in robotics beyond simply following command programs to actually learning new skills.
• One of the company founders, Mr. Abbeel suggested that they have been able to develop “teachable robots”. 

IAM ROBOTICS

• Founded in 2012, IAM Robotics was founded by roboticists from Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) — the world’s largest and best funded robotics R&D centers.
• Swift is an autonomous, material-picking robot that is equipped with integrated obstacle detection technology and the ability to navigate multiple aisles in a safe and accurate manner.
• It is able to pick and transport products at human-level speeds and enables to scale operations in a more cost-efficient way.
• In 2014, the company show-cased its first ever robot prototype that picks over 1,000 items per hour from a shelf.
•  I Am Robotics created the Swift Product Suite to work in the e-commerce order fulfillment space.
• The robotics experts aim to deliver a flexible autonomous robot that can handle solutions for the e-commerce order fulfillment, health and beauty, targeting grocery, pharmaceuticals, and the consumer-packaged goods industries.
• In November 2018, IAM Robotics raised a $20,000,000 from one of its lead investors, KCK, to help accelerate the inflow of robot workers and increase its production of inventory picker robots.
• The machine features include an articulated arm with rapid vision, autonomous grasping end effectors, direct drive base with obstacle detection abilities, and a wide horizontal and vertical view detection.

FETCH ROBOTICS

• Fetch Robotics provides the industry's only cloud-driven Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) solution.
• The company began in 2014 and has since received more than $48 million from more than 3 different companies to help with development.
• Fetch Robotics CartConnect robots autonomously pick up and drop off carts to any location within facilities with material handling needs.
• It is equipped with multiple sensors to ensure CartConnect's safely and efficiently travels between locations.
• The robot is able to work safely alongside people, forklifts, and other material handling equipment.
• Its transportation speed is about 1.5 meters per second.
• Fetch Robotics’ AMRs reduce costs and improve throughput, efficiency, and productivity, while working alongside people.
• The company has partnered with other large companies such as Honeywell and Ryder to provide them with on-demand automation capabilities for warehouse material handling.
• The FetchCore suite of software and services comes with an Enterprise Robot Planning module that enables an easy and a fast setup.

LOCUS ROBOTICS

• Locus Robotics is a market leader in autonomous mobile robots for fulfillment warehouses in the United States. It offers servers that manage a fleet of robots that operate collaboratively with warehouse workers to significantly improve piece-handling productivity.
• Its feature product is LocusEmpower, an e-commerce fulfillment solution that includes other iconic solutions like autonomous LocusBots, the LocusServer, WiFi, and mobile apps.
• The objective of Locus Robotics is to strive continuously to find new ways to advance robotics technology and maximize warehouse productivity. Through its smart autonomous robotic solutions, it aims to break the limitations of capital intensive and grid-based automation systems.
• One of the main strengths of Locus Robotics is that the system does not require the warehouse associates to be replaced. Instead, it works with them and completes it efficiently.
• The flexible design of Locus Robotics fits in a broad range of tote and bin configurations that meet virtually any requirement in the warehouses.
• There is no system to capture the weight of the picked piece in Locus robots. The weight data can detect the quantity mispicks and help in reducing them.
• In April 2019, Locus Robotics raised $26 million in Series C funding. The company plans to use the new funding to expand its business into Europe, and accelerate its product development.
• Although Locus Robotics looks forward to working with other applications such as mobile piece picking and automotive manufacturing, its primary focus is to scale up the e-commerce sector.

VECNA ROBOTICS

• Founded in 2018, Vecna Robotics is a spin-off from Vecna technologies headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While the Vecna has been operating since 1998, the robotics division started as the technology and market matured and created an assuring business environment.
• Vecna offers a wide range of robots designed for different tasks including, each picking, case put, pallet moves, and tuggers for warehouses.
• Founded with the guiding principle of “Better Technology, Better World,” the objective of Vecna Robotics is to deliver the best automation technologies by revolutionizing customer productivity. The company aims to improve and add sustained value to the ongoing cycle by implementing human-machine workflows.
•  Pivot.al, a trademark product of Vecna, is the world's first AI-based orchestration engine that constantly analyzes the current state of operation and adjusts the processes accordingly.
• Vecna systems have a built-in beacon mechanism that merges software updates, data analytics, neural networks, and remote operations to improve performance.
• The vision systems of Vecna robots are driven by machine learning technologies. Through this system, the robot can ask for help, and the supervisor can remotely assist.
• Forming as a separate business in 2018, Vecna plans to play a crucial role in the ongoing transformation of industrial automation and robotics. With e-commerce on the rise and ever-changing demands in the industry, Vecna is now focusing to provide smart solutions to optimize workflows in warehouses.