Heico Sandee, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Smart Robotics.
Smart Robotics offers technology and services designed to automate pick-and-place stations in achievement centers. The corporate provides user-friendly, reliable, and adaptable pick-and-place systems able to handling a wide range of things.
What inspired you to co-found Smart Robotics back in 2015? What challenges within the robotics industry were you aiming to unravel?
Along with Mark Menting, I founded Smart Robotics in May 2015. We opposed the established order throughout the robotics industry and noticed there was a necessity for renewal. Traditional robot applications are created for a selected project and want custom programming, leading to high costs per installation, low flexibility and limited functionality. Nonetheless, in today’s society there’s an ever increasing and ranging consumer demand, which is why logistics- and production corporations are in need of more flexible and progressive pick & place automation.
How has Smart Robotics evolved over the past nine years, and what are the important thing milestones which have shaped its growth?
In 2015, Smart Robotics began in a small office on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven. Now, we’re situated in our head office in Best, in the course of the high tech region Brainport. After our start, Smart Robotics was quickly noticed throughout the industry. Nowadays, you could find our pick and place robots everywhere in the world and we’ve got developed a powerful partner network inside Europe and beyond.
Smart Robotics has seen impressive global expansion. Could you share some insights into the important thing markets you’ve entered and the particular industries where your solutions are most impactful?
Europe as a region is specifically specializing in industrial automation and smart infrastructure development, creating opportunities for robotics corporations. Benelux and Dach are our strongest markets and our solutions are most impactful within the food, retail, pharma and parcel logistics industries.
Smart Robotics designs robots to work alongside people relatively than replace them. Could you elaborate on how this human-centered approach differentiates you from competitors?
Human-centrism is prime for Smart Robotics.Our mission is to create a workplace where people do what they’re valued for, through collaboration with smarter robots. For instance, the usage of Smart Robotics cobot palletizers significantly improves the speed and accuracy of palletizing tasks. Our cobot palletizer cooperates safely together with your employees, as there isn’t a need for safety fences because it may proceed its operation when an operator is near. This approach leads to high flexibility and user-friendly cooperation with the cobot.
How is Smart Robotics specifically addressing the increasing demand for automation throughout the pharmaceutical sector?
Smart Robotics is addressing the increasing demand for automation within the pharmaceutical sector by offering tailored robotic solutions designed for precise, repetitive tasks like order picking, and packing.
Our hardware-agnostic software allows for seamless integration with various robotic systems, optimizing operations in sterile environments. The robots’ advanced vision and task planning capabilities ensure accurate handling of sensitive pharmaceutical items, enhancing efficiency, minimizing human error, and improving overall operational safety. This approach supports the sector’s need for reliable, scalable automation solutions consistent with stringent regulatory requirements.
Are you able to walk us through how the Smart Palletizer has improved operational efficiency on your pharma clients, like Bayer? What specific advantages have they seen?
Bayer was looking for a cobot integrated palletizing system. For them, the relevant certificates and safety were of great importance. Although they didn’t yet have any experience with cobot systems, they were already convinced of the standard of Smart Robotics’ Smart Palletizer. Originally, Bayer’s line operators weren’t entirely convinced of a cobot system, since it is a brand new technology that was quite unfamiliar to them. Nonetheless, since the Smart Palletizer may be very user-friendly, the workers on the ground at Bayer were capable of work with the system quickly and it has now turn out to be one among the more popular ‘colleagues’.
What role does AI play within the operation of your robotics systems? How do features like continuous learning and adaptableness enhance their performance?
AI plays a fundamental role in Smart Robotics’ robotic systems by enabling robots to autonomously navigate complex logistics tasks. Through AI-driven vision, task planning, and motion control, the robots can interpret their environment, optimize their movements, and execute tasks efficiently. Continuous learning allows the robots to enhance with each task, adapting to recent items, environments, and challenges with no need manual intervention. This adaptability enhances their performance by reducing errors, increasing accuracy, and ensuring smoother, faster operations, especially in dynamic and changing environments.
The Technology Trinity (motion, vision, and decision making ) is a core innovation. How does this improve the accuracy and reliability of your robots?
Vision is powered by 3D camera sensors and deep learning, enabling precise detection of things of their surroundings. Motion planning ensures smooth and efficient movements, while decision-making algorithms guarantee tasks are executed at the best moment. These systems work together to permit the robot to select and place a wide range of things with precision across different environments, significantly improving reliability.
Could you share more about your software’s hardware-agnostic nature? How does this feature offer flexibility to your clients across different industries?
Our software integrates seamlessly with a big selection of robotic systems, independent of the hardware in use. This flexibility enables businesses across various industries to tailor the software to their specific operational needs while benefiting from advanced technology, without being restricted to a single kind of hardware platform.
What are your long-term goals for Smart Robotics? How do you envision the corporate’s role in shaping the long run of warehouse automation and robotics?
The last word goal for Smart Robotics is to create easily functioning warehouses where a team of robots, guided by advanced software and AI, can efficiently handle products and packages. This doesn’t suggest robots will take over human jobs. As an alternative, they’ll work alongside people, making their tasks easier and more practical and safer.
We will expect to see a 50% or greater increase in the usage of robotics in warehouses worldwide over the subsequent five years by which Smart Robotics will play a very important role. As more distribution centers evolve into ‘smart warehouses,’ it’s crucial to concentrate on key areas for improvement. The very best approach involves maintaining flexibility, specializing in productivity and efficiency, creating precious profession growth opportunities for workers and implementing smart technologies. By following these practices, warehouses can optimize their operations while still valuing and developing their human workforce.
