Digital reality software services provider Hexagon AB recently announced the winners of its third “Sixth Sense” cohort for advanced manufacturing startups: Flexxbotics and Zaptic.
Eight startups participated in the program run by the company’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. The program culminated with a pitching competition at the Sixth Sense Summit at CodeNode in London.
Acerta Analytics was named the runner-up. Other startups that participated included Dessia, Launchpad, Rafinex, RV Magnetics, and ToffeeX.
Hexagon to provide winners with resources for growth
A panel of judges from Hexagon’s corporate leadership team selected the winners. Flexxbotics was selected for its workcell digitization technology for “robot-driven manufacturing.”
“We’re thrilled to be selected as the Industry 4.0 manufacturing robotics software winner of the program,” said Tyler Bouchard, co-founder & CEO of Flexxbotics. “We believe that the fleets of robots in the smart factory will run lights-out production, and that integrated inspection will be the critical ‘eyes & ears’ of autonomous manufacturing.”
Zaptic was selected for its connected worker platform for manufacturing that digitizes operations.
“It’s an honor to be selected as a winner for Sixth Sense,” said Sandy Reid, co-founder and CCO at Zaptic. “Manufacturers desperately need a more efficient way to secure and build capability in the workforce. Partnering with Hexagon will allow us to meet this need at scale with Zaptic’s AI-guided connected worker solution.”
The cohort winners will be given access to Hexagon's resources for global expansion, including potential funding, worldwide office space, and the company’s suite of products and services.
Additionally, Flexxbotics and Zaptic will be showcased on Nexus, Hexagon's cloud-based digital reality software platform for manufacturing. Hexagon said Nexus will provide the winners with visibility to other companies and opportunities to connect to their systems and data to solve bigger challenges.
Digital reality a priority of Hexagon’s Sixth Sense program
Hexagon said its digital reality products are a part of the manufacturing of 90% of aircraft, 75% of smartphones, and 95% of all automobiles worldwide. The company launched its Sixth Sense program in January 2022 to support startups developing digital reality and digital twin products that address manufacturing industry challenges.
“Sixth Sense was conceived to identify emerging innovations and has succeeded in providing a platform for high-growth startups such as Flexxbotics and Zaptic, granting them access to resources and customers that are typically beyond reach at this stage of their development,” said Josh Weiss, president of Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division.
“We are thrilled to announce Flexxbotics and Zaptic as the winners of Hexagon's third Sixth Sense cohort because both address critical automation and productivity challenges while pushing forward the digitization of the manufacturing industry,” Weiss said.
US-based Gelsight was named the winner of Hexagon’s second cohort in February of 2023 for its 3D tactile-sensing system through a digital sense of touch. The company announced a global partnership to develop and sell systems globally with Hexagon earlier this week.
“Across our three cohorts, we have witnessed how startup innovation empowers manufacturing leaders to confront society's future challenges,” said Milan Kocić, Head of Sixth Sense at Hexagon. “Sixth Sense is honored to be open to innovators worldwide addressing some of the planet's most significant challenges.”
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