OSARO, a machine-learning-enabled robotics for e-commerce company, is teaming with IHI Logistics & Machinery Corporation (IHI), a Tokyo-based integrator of factory automation equipment and industrial machinery, to increase adoption of robotics systems in warehouses across Japan.
As part of the agreement, IHI will license multiple OSARO Robotic Depalletizing Systems, which use OSARO SightWorks Perception for picking, mixed-case depalletizing, induction, kitting and other automated functions.
Mixed-case pallets at forefront of partnership
Following a technical collaboration with OSARO, IHI installed a demonstration system at its Yokohama Logi Lab and plans to deploy a production robotic depalletizing system at a food wholesale company later in 2024.
Warehouses and logistics operations operate in a fiercely competitive environment and are under constant pressure to accelerate delivery times while lowering costs. Although robotic depalletizing (depal) of homogenous pallets has been around for a while, mixed-case or partial-layer loads are far more technically challenging and require advanced machine-learning vision for it to be successful.
The vision system has to determine various case angles, which cases are on top and which should be picked first. It must have the intelligence to choose and select different end-of-arm tools (EOAT), and then ascertain the precise grasp pose to avoid interfering with adjacent cases.
“Depal is a warehouse workflow characterized by heavy use of manual labor and high levels of workplace injuries,” said Motohiro Kawada, CEO of IHI. “Addressing this challenge aligns closely with our corporate mission of designing and building progressive engineering solutions for people and the planet… Our decision to move forward with OSARO is based on their ability to handle a wider variety of boxes at much faster recognition speeds than other vendors.”
OSARO’s Sightworks machine-learning software maximizes robotic depal performance and includes mixed-case capabilities as well as damaged box and foreign object detection. A robotic depal system equipped with OSARO’s software can return, on average, a 40% cost savings when compared to manual labor, according to the company.
“We’re delighted to see adoption of OSARO SightWorks Perception by IHI, a major Japanese systems integrator with the market vision and experience to capitalize on the enormous potential of mixed-case depalletizing in Japan,” said Derik Pridmore, CEO of OSARO. “OSARO’s robotic depal technology can be broadly applied in warehousing operations.”
OSARO SightWorks has also been licensed by other robotics organizations, including:
By licensing OSARO SightWorks Perception, IHI joins a select group of top integrators and robotics solution providers that includes DAC Robotics, Mission Design and Automation, and others.
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