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Plus One Robotics exits stealth mode, launches picking system and enters funding round

Plus One Robotics, a 3D vision and controls developer for robotic automation in the logistics and e-commerce markets, has exited stealth to announce the commercial release of the PickOne Perception system, an integrated 3D vision solution for imaging parcels and generating robot pick points.

Plus One Robotics has partnered with leaders in robot manufacturing, system integration, and e-commerce to develop this technology for the order fulfillment and parcel shipping markets.

Rising consumer demand for shorter delivery times has increased the need for improved efficiency in sortation, induction, and singulation of the millions of packages which must be handled each day. 

The repetitive nature of these material handling tasks leads to high employee turnover and, therefore, a need for an automated solution.

Erik Nieves, chief executive of Plus One Robotics, says: “It’s an exercise in labor optimization. Our PickOne technology enables robots to perform these simple yet necessary operations, allowing employees to flow to higher value work.”

PickOne-Perception-System

At up to 1,500 picks per hour, the software generates pick points faster than any other 3D vision software, allowing robots to meet or exceed human picking rates, he said.

Leveraging advances in 3D image processing and machine learning, Plus One Robotics says its technology combines hardware and software to deliver a robust, integrated solution.

The PickOne system is robot-agnostic and can be installed on robots from any major robot manufacturer, including ABB, Fanuc, Kuka, Universal Robots, or Yaskawa.

Shaun Edwards, Plus One Robotics CTO and co-founder, says: “Intelligent perception is the prime mover for automation in supply chain.

“As the variability of the goods to be handled continues to grow, the need for adaptive vision and seamless robot control is more acute.

“Our PickOne system is the first to successfully deliver on these requirements, and at pick rates that meet our customers’ throughput demands.”

Founded in 2016, the company has 11 employees and expects to add around 20 more within a year.

Plus One Robotics’ initial investment round was led by Schematic Ventures, a thought leader in supply chain automation, with participation from Lerer Hippeau, ff Ventures, First Star, and Dynamo.

Julian Counihan, general partner at Schematic Ventures, says: “The founder DNA is really something else. Erik is a known leader in the industry with a distinguished career at Yaskawa.

“Shaun & Paul built the most widely-used open source software platform in industrial robotics.

“As a team, they check every box needed to create the next major category of enterprise software.”