Show Daily Exclusive -
Technologies from Soft Robotics are on display across the show floor on robotic systems at BCA (Booth SU-7155/7156), Fanuc (Booth C-1441), Harpak-Ulma (Booth SL-6101), Quest (Booth C-2825) and SMC (Booth C-5233).
A specialist in end effectors, or grippers, Soft Robotics integrates its gripping technologies with 3D vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to build systems capable of automating bulk picking processes.
“Today’s industrial robots are unable to deal with product variability or unstructured environments typically found across the labor challenged food supply chain in areas such as agriculture, food processing and logistics,” says Mark Chiappetta, COO at Soft Robotics. “With our revolutionary soft grasping, 3D perception and AI technologies, Soft Robotics unlocks robotic automation by augmenting widely available industrial robots with true hand-eye coordination, allowing them to perform tasks that traditionally could only be performed by human workers.”
The company recently raised a $10-million Series B extension to expand commercial operations and help launch its SoftAI™ product, which layers 3D vision and AI software on top of Soft Robotics’ patented and proven, IP69K-rated soft grasping technology.
“This is an exciting time at Soft Robotics,” says company CEO Jeff Beck. “The vulnerabilities of the food supply chain were illuminated by the pandemic, making it clear that automation has graduated from a nice-to-have to a must-have across all large-scale food production operations. Soft Robotics’ patented technologies are ready and being used today to enable automation in the processing and packaging of proteins, produce and bakery products. Demand for both our hardware and SoftAI software solutions are increasing at an unprecedented pace. This new capital will support Soft Robotics’ exponential growth, thereby ensuring automation plays a major role in safeguarding the food supply against future disruptions.”
For more info, visit www.softroboticsinc.com. SD
