DHL Supply Chain Partners with Robust.AI to Drive the Future of Warehouse Automation

Westerville, OH - DHL Supply Chain, the global leader in contract logistics, announced a new partnership with cutting-edge robotics firm Robust.AI to develop and deploy an innovative fleet of warehouse robots. The strategic alliance leverages DHL Supply Chain's deep understanding of logistics challenges and proven track record in implementing automated solutions and Robust.AI's expertise in artificial intelligence and advanced robotics.  The companies will first focus on piloting and deploying 'Carter,' a collaborative mobile robot that provides flexible warehouse material handling automation.    

"At DHL Supply Chain, we're constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible in logistics," said Sally Miller, chief information officer and global digital transformation officer, DHL Supply Chain. "Partnering with Robust.AI, a pioneer in AI-powered robotics, allows us to continue redefining what's possible within the four walls of the warehouse. This partnership will help us to create a smarter, safer, and more reliable supply chain one intelligent robot at a time."   

“DHL Supply Chain has been an incredible partner. As the industry leader, their analytics and logistics expertise are unparalleled and have helped us refine our product workflows and AI,” says Anthony Jules, CEO & co-founder of Robust.AI. "Working cooperatively, our teams have demonstrated meaningful productivity increases in the warehouse. DHL Supply Chain and Robust.AI share a vision that is centered around people. At Robust.AI, we build robots and AI that amplify and augment workers’ abilities, and we are grateful to have a partner at massive scale who shares our drive for marrying increased efficiency with an elevated employee experience.” 

The pilot for Carter is underway at a DHL Supply Chain warehouse, and initial deployment is planned for later this year. The robot will be able to handle a wide range of tasks, starting with optimizing the picking process. Using AI technology, Carter will enhance efficiency as the solution can learn and adapt to real-time warehouse conditions, optimizing workflows and maximizing productivity. Carter's embedded sensors and AI capabilities will also generate valuable data to optimize warehouse layouts, staffing, and inventory management.  

Carter will join DHL Supply Chain's formidable list of robotic solutions, including a robotic arm developed for carton unloading of trucks, automated guided vehicles such as their autonomous forklift, and a variety of autonomous mobile robots that assist with picking and moving cartons around the warehouse.   

Media Contact: 

Tim Smith

tsmith@elementpr.com

Robust.AI Unveils Software Suite Grace™ & Hardware Product Carter™

Palo Alto, CA — Robust.AI, the company transforming how robots work for people, has unveiled its first software suite product, Grace, as well as a hardware product concept, Carter. Grace and Carter combine AI, robotics, and human-centered design to improve the way people and robots interact and work together. These technologies will be applied to the warehousing industry where more than 80% of warehouses operate without any automation, while labor shortages continue to wreak havoc on the global supply chain.

“Collaborative productivity will transform operational efficiency and employee engagement. We’ve developed a no-code software suite called Grace to make working with robots effortless and useful. Carter is a new class of Collaborative Mobile Robot (CMR) to work with people, not just near them,” says Rodney Brooks, Co-Founder & CTO at Robust.AI. “We’re excited about partnering with the right teams to bring Grace & Carter to warehouses and other industries where we can improve how robots work with people.”

Grace is a software suite that enables dynamic coordination between people and robots in any warehouse with any workflow. The software can map out work between people and robots, allowing it to distribute and adapt as necessary. It provides situational awareness that makes robots capable in spaces where people move and work, including semantic and people perception as well as mapping and localization using cameras. Warehouse managers will be able to customize workflows, integrations, and behavior for an entire fleet of robots in minutes, through a no-code interface.

During the development of Grace, Robust.AI recognized that current Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) are slow to build, deploy, and adopt for many applications. This insight led to the development of Robust.AI’s first hardware product, Carter, a Collaborative Mobile Robot (CMR). Carter provides flexible automation for material handling in warehouses and beyond. As a CMR, Carter works around people without changing the environment, allowing for fluent coordination, while increasing the engagement and productivity of people.

Robust.AI has also added on to their world-class team of industry veterans. Anthony Jules moves into the role of CEO, where he’ll build on his decades of experience of leading teams at companies including Sapient and Redwood Robotics. Leila Takayama is recognized as one of the global experts in human-robot interaction and joins as VP of HRI & Design. Kavitha Velusamy joins as SVP of Engineering and has shipped a number of industry defining products, including the Amazon Echo and Cisco’s first Telepresence System. John Moretti also joins Robust.AI as Head of Product, bringing expertise and experience from his work at Dishcraft Robotics and Wonder Workshop.

Robust.AI is currently in conversation with potential hardware partners for the development of Carter and with early customers for the product.

About Robust.AI

Founded in 2019 by a world-class team of scientists and roboticists, Robust.AI is making robots work for people through AI and human-centered design. Robust.AI’s first software suite Grace enables dynamic coordination between people and robots using a no-code system to seamlessly integrate robots into a workplace setting. Carter is Robust.AI’s first hardware product concept that will transform the way people collaborate with robots in the warehouse. Visit Robust.AI for more information.

Press Contacts

Alex Mack

alex@playground.global