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Comfortable Robotics spinoff Oxiptal AI’s imaginative and prescient tech can detect bruises on produce, extra fats on proteins, burn marks on snacks, and extra. | Credit score: Oxipital AI
After two straight report years throughout the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, industrial robotic gross sales have crashed again to actuality, particularly in North America. Based on business affiliation A3, gross sales of commercial robots in North America declined 30% in 2023. Gross sales dipped 6% in North America throughout Q1 2024 in contrast with Q1 2023.
Whereas many analysts agree that industrial robots will ultimately change into ubiquitous, the timeframe for that taking place stays unknown. The slowdown is partially accountable for a number of robotics firms shutting down or shedding workers. Mark Chiappetta, president and CEO of soppy gripper maker Comfortable Robotics Inc., was decided to not fall into that class.
Comfortable Robotics at this time divested its gentle robotic gripper enterprise to J. Schmalz GmbH for an undisclosed quantity. Glatten, Germany-based Schmalz is a number one developer of vacuum expertise, making every thing from suction cups and vacuum turbines to finish gripping and clamping programs.
Chiappetta informed The Robot Report that Schmalz is buying Comfortable Robotics’ mental property in addition to plenty of staff and services.
“When COVID was occurring, the speak was, ‘We don’t have a alternative. [Installing robots] is a matter of maintaining with demand,’” he mentioned. “All of us absolutely anticipated these shopping for habits to remain, which might’ve led to a tectonic shift in robotics. However these habits didn’t keep.”
Comfortable Robotics was based in 2012 by Dr. George M. Whitesides of Harvard College. He envisioned using soft materials and microfluidics to alter the way in which robots had been made, opening the door for brand new markets and purposes. He keynoted the inaugural Robotics Summit & Expo, produced by The Robotic Report, in 2018.
Oxipital AI diversifies the enterprise
Whereas Comfortable Robotics’ grippers at the moment are beneath the Schmalz umbrella, the company is not. It has spun off its mGripAI 3D vision and artificial intelligence applied sciences into a brand new firm referred to as Oxipital AI, for which Chiappetta holds the identical job title.
Oxipital AI will deal with visible inspection duties akin to defect detection, quantity estimation, SKU classification, attribute segmentation, and conveyor counting. It’s going to additionally on robotic choosing in numerous industries, beginning primarily within the meals enterprise the place Comfortable Robotics had constructed its status.
The corporate plans to create core object fashions that Chiappetta mentioned are pre-trained utilizing 100% artificial knowledge. He added that Oxipital AI requires zero imagery to be gathered, nor does it want human labeling.
A no-code characteristic allows prospects to set guidelines for what constitutes an excellent product or dangerous product for inspection duties, and a cloud-based dashboard collects and analyzes real-world knowledge, he defined. Oxipital AI’s expertise stack interfaces with all current industrial robotic arms, in addition to typical automation programs akin to conveyors, mentioned Chiappetta.
Oxipital AI is a brand new firm specializing in AI visible inspection duties. | Credit score: Oxipital AI
Meals business forces Comfortable Robotics shift in focus
In addition to not promoting robotic grippers, the principle distinction from the previous company is that Oxipital AI could have a serious emphasis on purposes that don’t use robots, he famous. For instance, within the food business, AI-based imaginative and prescient applied sciences can enhance yield, enhance throughput, and cut back waste, Chiapetta mentioned.
“Meals processors aren’t prepared to tear out human choosing strains and change them with robotic strains,” Chiappetta mentioned. “They’re keen to place in a digital camera to reveal the best way to optimize their present processes.”
Chiappetta mentioned ground house is the most important motive meals processors aren’t adopting robotics. A lot of the bigger organizations, he mentioned, are constructed by buying smaller producers. This makes each manufacturing plant totally different and places ground house at a premium.
One other main drawback, in accordance with Chiappetta, is that food-processing firms are reluctant to take the preliminary leap of religion into robotics.
“[The food industry] hasn’t been a powerful adopter of robotics up to now,” he mentioned. “Processors must allocate capital with excessive rates of interest, choose a bidder, have an answer developed, take an current line down, put the answer in place, have acceptance and high quality finished, after which they’ll know if the funding was price it.”
“As soon as you’re taking out people, it’s exhausting to return,” mentioned Chiappetta.
He mentioned on LinkedIn that Comfortable Robotics had almost 1,000 gentle grippers deployed within the area.
OnRobot is one other well-known developer of soft robotic grippers. Based in 2015, the Odense, Denmark-based firm initially provided a wide range of robotic finish effectors.
Nonetheless, it too has diversified its enterprise by launching numerous sensors, instrument changers, and software packages for purposes akin to palletizing, packaging, CNC machining, and extra.
Former Comfortable Robotics divests in transfer to AI
The Bedford, Mass.-based firm has up to date its web site to replicate the brand new path. One web page particulars how a “main candy corn producer in america” not too long ago carried out the AI-powered imaginative and prescient expertise to examine its produce for defects.
This method seems to be for numerous flaws akin to lacking kernels and misshapen or undersized produce. It then relays this info to the standard management staff for vital actions.
Why did Comfortable Robotics divest its gripper enterprise as an alternative of simply rising its deal with 3D imaginative and prescient and AI?
Chiappetta replied that this wasn’t an “adapt-or-die” scenario, however that the elevated money from the divestiture actually helps. The principle profit is to maintain the corporate centered, he mentioned.
“Robotic choosing is admittedly exhausting, and grippers are a distinct segment enterprise,” mentioned Chiappetta. “The visible AI wanted to do this stuff is the frequent denominator to do all these purposes. And we’ve received the tech to do it.”
“With out focus, it’s troublesome to outlive,” he added. “I had many conversations with strategic companions and others who didn’t know the way to take a look at an organization that’s eyes (imaginative and prescient), fingers (grippers), and brains (AI).”
Not 100% depending on robotic gross sales
December 2022 was the perfect month Comfortable Robotics ever exhausting financially, Chiappetta informed The Robotic Report. January is usually a gradual month as firms found out their budgets, however January 2023 was horrible, and February didn’t get any higher, he mentioned.
“Our companions had been seeing the identical factor,” recalled Chiappetta.
Comfortable Robotics final raised $26 million in November 2022. It had raised $86 million since its founding, according to Crunchbase.
Comfortable Robotics’ enterprise was 100% depending on robotic gross sales, however Oxipital’s received’t be, Chiappetta asserted.
“The Schmalz transaction is the beginning of what we hope is a strategic partnership,” he mentioned. “They’ve an excellent status and world distribution. It’s a pure match for us. We want an organization like Schmalz to develop gentle robotic grippers. And the extra gentle gripping turns into the usual, the extra alternatives we’ll have for our AI imaginative and prescient tech.”
Schmalz had developed its personal gentle robotic grippers, such because the OFG HYG SI-70. Supply: Schmalz
