Food robotics leader Soft Robotics raises $ 10 million to meet pandemic-induced demand and commercialize its 3D vision and AI-based solutions

âToday’s industrial robots are unable to handle the product variability or unstructured environments typically found in the struggling food supply chain in areas such as agriculture, food processing. and logistics, âsaid Marc Chiappetta, COO at Soft Robotics. âWith our revolutionary soft-grip, 3D perception and AI technologies, Soft Robotics unlocks robotic automation by augmenting widely available industrial robots with true hand-eye coordination enabling them to perform tasks that traditionally could not be achieved. performed only by human workers. ”
Companies such as Tyson Foods are betting on adopting robotic automation to improve safety and increase production at their facilities to meet the demand for high-quality, safe and nutritious protein products. Tyson Foods is a leading producer of chicken, beef and pork and has invested approximately $ 500 million in new technologies and automation over the past three years. The company is an existing user of Soft Robotics.
âAt Tyson Ventures, we are continually exploring new areas of automation that can improve safety and increase the productivity of our team members,â said Rahul ray, Senior Director of Tyson Ventures. âSoft Robotics’ advanced robotics technology, computer vision and AI platform have the potential to transform the food industry and will play a key role in the automation journey of any business. “
The global COVID-19 pandemic has stepped up pressure to automate to alleviate workforce challenges and increase operational and food safety in factory environments. Soft Robotics has experienced a rapid increase in demand for its products and achieved the two largest sales quarters in the company’s seven-year history.
âIt’s an exciting time at Soft Robotics,â said Jeff Beck, CEO of Soft Robotics. âThe vulnerabilities in the food supply chain have been brought to light by the pandemic, making it clear that automation has gone from being a must-have to a must-have in all large-scale food production operations. Soft Robotics’ patented technologies are ready and used today to enable the automation of processing and packaging of proteins, fruits and vegetables and bakery products. Demand for our SoftAI hardware and software solutions is growing at an unprecedented rate. This new capital will support the exponential growth of Soft Robotics, ensuring that automation plays a major role in protecting the food supply from future disruptions. “
âWe have been an investor in Soft Robotics from the very beginning and their progress over the past 18 months has been phenomenal. Their SoftAI solution, combining patented flexible robotic grippers, lightning-fast 3D vision and sophisticated AI that evaluates a scene autonomously choosing the optimal gripping solution, is the future of robotics and an absolute game changer for food and logistics industries, âsaid Kevin dunlap, Managing Partner at Calibrate Ventures. âCompanies in these industries are quickly adopting SoftAI in their factories to automate the picking and sorting of fragile or irregularly shaped products such as meats, produce and seasonal items that previously had to be hand sorted. ”
About soft robotics
Soft Robotics is an award-winning, industry-leading technology company that designs and manufactures automatic picking solutions using mGrip, a proprietary flexible and modular robotic gripping system, 3D machine perception, and SoftAI ⢠artificial intelligence. . The company’s transformational robotic solutions enable machine builders to solve the most difficult part preparation challenges throughout the food supply chain in areas such as agriculture, food processing and logistics. . Today Soft Robotics has hundreds of system installations, performing billions of successful selections, in live 24/7 production for some of the world’s largest producers in these industries.
Soft Robotics is backed by leading venture capital firms and strategic investors including ABB Technology Ventures, Calibrate Ventures, FANUC, Honeywell Ventures, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Material Impact, Scale Venture Partners, Tekfen Ventures, Tyson Ventures and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Learn more about www.softroboticsinc.com.
Media and general information:
Julie collura
Director of Marketing Communications
[email protected]
Investment / partnership requests:
Marc Chiappetta
CEO
[email protected]
SOURCE Soft Robotics Inc.
Related links