Advanced Micro Devices Corporation (AMD), a leading Silicon Valley manufacturer of semiconductor devices, in conjunction with MassRobotics, has named Black-I Robotics a winner of the prestigious AMD Robotics Innovation Challenge.
Black-I earned the award based on its plans to explore the benefits of AMD's Kria System modules within Black-I's robotics programs, according to Brian Hart, CEO of Black-i Robotics, which is headquartered in Tyngsborough, MA.
Black-I Robotics has developed a powerful, highly productive automated robot worker that is transforming the logistics and manufacturing industries. The robot worker consists of the company's autonomous mobile heavy lift Fullscope robotic arm featuring AI-based vision combined with an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR). The system replaces a minimum of two workers per 24-hour shift in warehouses, manufacturing floors and other workplaces while relieving workers of the repetitive, backbreaking task of moving boxes, cartons, pallets and other heavy objects all day long.
The innovative arm lifts more than twice the payload of competing arms and uses superior AI vision and obstacle avoidance, which will enhance the value of the tens of thousands of AMRs now on the floors of virtually every company that ships products by giving them the autonomous ability to see, pick, place and move large objects. "AMRs costing thousands of dollars today are used primarily to haul bulk items," Hart says. " With the AI-vision and path planning capabilities of our arm riding atop the AMRs, they are suddenly substantially more valuable, safely picking a variety of items sitting on shelves and efficiently placing them at any designated spot in today's massive distribution centers, many as large as 20 football fields. We've had tremendous interest in the arm from a who's who of Fortune 500 companies based on the significant productivity gains it provides."
AMD is one of the best known companies in the computer industry, with revenues in 2022 of $23.6 billion. It specializes in manufacturing semiconductor devices used in computer processing. The company also produces flash memories, graphics processors, motherboard chip sets, and a variety of components used in consumer electronics goods. Black-I Robotics will test AMD's products to improve machine vision and reduce power requirements on mobile platforms.
MassRobotics' mission is providing entrepreneurs and innovative robotics and automation startups with the workspace and resources needed to develop, prototype, test and commercialize their products and solutions. Black-I has been a client of MassRobotics for years and houses its Fullscope prototype there.