Robotics & Automation News

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Interview with Christina Gomez-Terry of Plus One Robotics: Why warehouse robotics succeeds or fails at scale

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Warehouse automation has entered a new phase. The question is no longer whether robotics can perform individual tasks such as parcel picking, depalletizing, sorting, or palletizing.

The technology has largely proven itself in pilot projects and controlled deployments. The bigger challenge facing the industry today is scale.

As logistics operators expand robotics systems across multiple facilities, they often discover that success depends less on peak performance and more on consistency, reliability, and operational resilience. [Read more…] about Interview with Christina Gomez-Terry of Plus One Robotics: Why warehouse robotics succeeds or fails at scale

Fort Robotics acquires Mapless AI to expand supervised autonomy and physical AI safety platform

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Fort Robotics, the trust layer for physical AI, has announced the acquisition of Mapless AI, a Boston- and Pittsburgh-based leader in vehicle teleoperation and autonomy supervision.

The acquisition represents a significant commercial expansion of Fort’s Trust Platform, adding two critical new capabilities: remote human-in-the-loop teleoperation and onboard active safety.

By integrating these technologies, Fort expands its market offering from safety-certified machine control to a comprehensive architecture for supervised autonomy. [Read more…] about Fort Robotics acquires Mapless AI to expand supervised autonomy and physical AI safety platform

Where Drivers Still Beat Autonomous Systems, and Why it Matters

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Autonomous systems are designed for repetition. They are good in the situations where patterns can be memorized, charted, and anticipated with a high level of certainty. However, real-world driving is filled with edge cases, which do not scale well to datasets.

Even a sophisticated system can be thrown off by a plastic bag floating along a highway or an unmarked detour in a construction area. The anomalies are intuitively processed by human drivers.

They do not need prior exposure to such scenarios since they reason by analogy rather than data. This generality ability with respect to known inputs is a structural benefit. [Read more…] about Where Drivers Still Beat Autonomous Systems, and Why it Matters

Opinion: Shipping shock tests US warehouses, automation delivers stability

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By Erik Nieves, co-founder and CEO of Plus One Robotics

The US decision to end the de minimis tariff exemption on packages under $800 has upended small package trade and set off a chain reaction in global shipping.

Postal operators across Europe, Asia and the Pacific have suspended deliveries to the US, leading to backlogs, surges in returns and rerouted freight.

For e-commerce retailers and warehouse operators, the sudden disruption is exposing just how fragile supply chains can be. [Read more…] about Opinion: Shipping shock tests US warehouses, automation delivers stability

Plus One Robotics uses Yaskawa Motoman to expand mixed depalletizing solutions

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, has launched new customer programs using Yaskawa Motoman robots. These customer deployments are for Plus One’s induction and mixed depalletizing solutions.

This deployment of Plus One and Yaskawa robotic solutions consists of 12 new induction systems acquired by FedEx Corp. This purchase builds upon the four existing robotic systems in use at the FedEx Express Hub in Memphis, Tennessee.

Additionally, Plus One successfully introduced its mixed depalletizing systems at the FedEx Reno, NV facility. Plus One’s mixed depalletizing systems will allow for easier, more efficient movement of cases from palleted shipments throughout the FedEx facility. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics uses Yaskawa Motoman to expand mixed depalletizing solutions

Plus One Robotics raises $50 million in new funding

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, has raised $50 million in Series C funding.

The round was led by Scale Venture Partners, with Partner Rory O’Driscoll joining the board of directors. Top Tier Capital Partners, Tyche Partners, ROBO Global Ventures, Translink, McRock, and Pritzker Group Venture Capital also participated in the round alongside existing investors, which brings the company’s total funding to date to nearly $100 million.

Plus One’s technology helps to alleviate the persistent shortage of manual labor through robotic solutions, dramatically streamlining the parcel picking and depalletizing processes. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics raises $50 million in new funding