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Organization: Brightpick
Country: U.S.
Website: https://brightpick.ai/
Year Founded: 2021
Number of Employees: 101-500
Innovation Class: Application of the Year
Each picking and mobile manipulation have been challenging for robotics developers. In 2023, Brightpick unveiled Autopicker, which it claimed is the first commercially available autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that can pick and consolidate orders directly in warehouse aisles.
Autopicker combines a mobile platform, a robotic arm, machine vision, and artificial intelligence for e-commerce fulfillment. The innovative system’s patented two-tote design enables it to retrieve orders from bins on shelving and pick items to one of its totes. This reduces the need for associates to spend time traveling with carts.
The robot can fulfill orders for everything from cosmetics and pharmaceuticals to e-grocery items, electronics, polybagged apparel, and spare parts. To do this, Autopicker uses proprietary 3D vision and algorithms trained on more than 500 million picks, as well as machine learning to improve over time.
Based in Cincinnati, Brightpick is a business unit of machine vision provider Photoneo. “On the AI side, this was not possible five to six years ago,” Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Brightpick, told The Robot Report. “The serious breakthroughs enable machine learning to generalize to unseen items.”
Brightpick also offers a goods-to-person option for heavy or hard-to-pick items. Autopicker can raise its bins to waist height for ergonomic picking.
By working with standard shelves, the AMR can be deployed in less than a month, and warehouses can reconfigure storage as needed. The system also supports pallet picking, replenishment, dynamic slotting, buffering, and dispatch. It can store up to 50,000 SKUs.
Last year, Brightpick went from raising additional funding to deploying Autopicker at Netrush, Rohlik Group, and other customers. The system is available for direct purchase or through a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model.
Explore the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024.
RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024
| Organization | Innovation |
|---|---|
| ABB Robotics | Modular industrial robot arms offer flexibility |
| Advanced Construction Robotics | IronBOT makes rebar installation faster, safer |
| Agility Robotics | Digit humanoid gets feet wet with logistics work |
| Amazon Robotics | Amazon strengthens portfolio with heavy-duty AGV |
| Ambi Robotics | AmbiSort uses real-world data to improve picking |
| Apptronik | Apollo humanoid features bespoke linear actuators |
| Boston Dynamics | Atlas shows off unique skills for humanoid |
| Brightpick | Autopicker applies mobile manipulation, AI to warehouses |
| Capra Robotics | Hircus AMR bridges gap between indoor, outdoor logistics |
| Dexterity | Dexterity stacks robotics and AI for truck loading |
| Disney | Disney brings beloved characters to life through robotics |
| Doosan | App-like Dart-Suite eases cobot programming |
| Electric Sheep | Vertical integration positions landscaping startup for success |
| Exotec | Skypod ASRS scales to serve automotive supplier |
| FANUC | FANUC ships one-millionth industrial robot |
| Figure | Startup builds working humanoid within one year |
| Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics | evoBot features unique mobile manipulator design |
| Gardarika Tres | Develops de-mining robot for Ukraine |
| Geek+ | Upgrades PopPick goods-to-person system |
| Glidance | Provides independence to visually impaired individuals |
| Harvard University | Exoskeleton improves walking for people with Parkinson’s disease |
| ifm efector | Obstacle Detection System simplifies mobile robot development |
| igus | ReBeL cobot gets low-cost, human-like hand |
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| Kodama Systems | Startup uses robotics to prevent wildfires |
| Kodiak Robotics | Autonomous pickup truck to enhance U.S. military operations |
| KUKA | Robotic arm leader doubles down on mobile robots for logistics |
| Locus Robotics | Mobile robot leader surpasses 2 billion picks |
| MassRobotics Accelerator | Equity-free accelerator positions startups for success |
| Mecademic | MCS500 SCARA robot accelerates micro-automation |
| MIT | Robotic ventricle advances understanding of heart disease |
| Mujin | TruckBot accelerates automated truck unloading |
| Mushiny | Intelligent 3D sorter ramps up throughput, flexibility |
| NASA | MOXIE completes historic oxygen-making mission on Mars |
| Neya Systems | Development of cybersecurity standards harden AGVs |
| NVIDIA | Nova Carter gives mobile robots all-around sight |
| Olive Robotics | EdgeROS eases robotics development process |
| OpenAI | LLMs enable embedded AI to flourish |
| Opteran | Applies insect intelligence to mobile robot navigation |
| Renovate Robotics | Rufus robot automates installation of roof shingles |
| Robel | Automates railway repairs to overcome labor shortage |
| Robust AI | Carter AMR joins DHL’s impressive robotics portfolio |
| Rockwell Automation | Adds OTTO Motors mobile robots to manufacturing lineup |
| Sereact | PickGPT harnesses power of generative AI for robotics |
| Simbe Robotics | Scales inventory robotics deal with BJ’s Wholesale Club |
| Slip Robotics | Simplifies trailer loading/unloading with heavy-duty AMR |
| Symbotic | Walmart-backed company rides wave of logistics automation demand |
| Toyota Research Institute | Builds large behavior models for fast robot teaching |
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| Universal Robots | Cobot leader strengthens lineup with UR30 |