Festo
Festo's new GripperAI software platform tackles mix SKU picking without extensive programming.
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Festo
Festo's new GripperAI software platform tackles mix SKU picking without extensive programming.
Festo has introduced GripperAI, which the company said is a universal AI-based software that enables fulfillment-center robots to pick a range of items without custom programming.
The company said that because fulfillment centers must pick a constantly changing mix of SKUs from conveyors and bins, automation systems often require repeated programming, application-specific integration, and expensive 3D camera setups to maintain reliability. These demands increase integration cost, slow deployment and limit the ability to scale robotic picking as order volumes and product variation grow.
Festo said that GripperAI addresses these challenges, as its software operates locally at the cell on a standard industrial PC with a connected 3D camera and automatically adjusts for mixed products without programming or template loading between SKUs.
Festo said that deploying GripperAI involves standard integration steps: mounting and aligning the camera, verifying usable lighting, calibrating the robot base to the camera’s frame and configuring the software’s pick parameters.
After that, for each sighted item, the software calculates a gripping point, selects a tool when multiple ones are available, and the robot’s path control carries out the move. If a grip is missed, Festo said that its system recalculates and retries, sustaining picking operations rather than stopping for reprogramming.
Because the software architecture does not change between camera types, Festo added that facilities can apply the most economical vision hardware that meets the application requirements. Unless packaging or surface conditions require higher-resolution imaging, most fulfillment applications can be satisfied with cost-effective 3D cameras.
Festo said that GripperAI is compatible with most industrial robots, cobots and Cartesian systems that have a path control system to execute the motion the software specifies. Because the software is robot-agnostic, Festo said that bin-picking and conveyor-emptying cells can be deployed or expanded without locking into a single brand or model, helping facilities protect existing investments while adding capacity with the most cost-effective equipment for the application.
Festo said that GripperAI is currently in use at Würth Group, a global provider of fastening and assembly offerings for industrial, construction, and automotive applications. The company faced the pressure of rising SKU counts and product mix variation at its central distribution hub in Germany.
When packages reach final processing, Festo said that a robot equipped with GripperAI uses a tool station with various vacuum and mechanical grippers to ensure it has the correct gripper for each product or package, which can vary from small parts like USB sticks to boxes weighing 44 lb. (20 kg). GripperAI addresses manual handling and ergonomic challenges in high-speed fulfillment environments.
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