Agility’s Digit wasn’t the only humanoid courting Modex in Atlanta this week. At the opposite end of the Georgia World Convention Center, Reflex Robotics, a younger and smaller startup, was drawing its own crowd. The booth focused on a single demo that ran throughout the week. Passersby asked the Reflex robot for something and it sprung into action, grabbing the item off the shelf (it didn’t hurt that the company was giving out free food and drink).
From the looks of it, most viewers were impressed by the speed and accuracy of the system. The hardware is an internal design, featuring a “trunk” mounted on a base that allows the arms and sensors to dynamically move up and down. It’s an amazingly dexterous robot that can access shelves at various heights while maneuvering in tight spaces. The system has a castor base, which is perfectly efficient for navigating this type of layout.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
Something to mention is the fact that the system is primarily remote controlled. It is an example of a human in the loop system, where it can be controlled remotely. The only real limitations there are potential latency issues if the operator moves too far. Co-founder and CEO Ritesh Ragavender compares the interface to a video game. He adds that the robot is “approaching” human-level efficiency.
The team is moving towards a system that requires fewer and fewer people. As the robot becomes more autonomous and capable, the human element will shift from control to supervisor. Humans are left as a kind of fail-safe if the robot runs into problems or encounters something completely new. For now, though, the human-to-robot ratio is 1:1. Ragavender says he believes the company will achieve a 1:2 ratio of warehouses and 3PLs (third party manufacturers) by early next year.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
The robot doing the hours at Modex is a second-generation system, which is currently being selectively piloted with potential customers, including some “big names,” according to Ragavender. He adds that the current timeline includes 10 to 20 Reflex robots in the world, followed by “hundreds” next year.
“I think the fact that you have a system that gets smarter the longer it runs, combined with remote operators and a really low-cost robot is what allows us to scale it and make it work,” says Ragavender. “We are ready to ship today.” The current price of the system is “under $50,000”. Scaling up production should be able to further reduce this number.
Image Credits: Reflex Robotics
The New York-based startup is still extremely lean, with just five people. The founders all come from MIT, except for companies like Boston Dynamics and Tesla. Reflex has so far raised a seed round, led by Khosla Ventures. Ragavender says the startup will likely pursue a Series A later this year.
