A Memphis-based robotics firm has negotiated a deal with a local supplier of supply chain solutions. The move is set to further assist in ushering in the company's robotic tech into the logistics market.
Dextrous Robotics recently entered into an agreement with Armstrong Transportation Management to pilot the Dextrous robotics system, DX-1, which will be used to unload floor-loaded shipping containers and could provide some relief for that chore — typically done via manual labor.
Evan Drumwright, CEO of Dextrous Robotics, told MBJ that his company plans to send the DX-1 to Armstrong at the end of August.
“We’re building a whole new robot, and we’re also putting the final touches on our software and getting it ready to go to them,” Drumwright said.
Technological relief
The firm’s flagship DX-1 robot — with the use of its distinctive chopstick-like appendages — is designed to unload boxes from trucks. The DX-1 can pick up 2,000 packages per hour at 400 times the speed of a human workforce, according to Dextrous Robotics.
Drumwright credited Armstrong for being a forward-thinking company and looking to implement a robotic technology.
"Armstrong is clearly looking forward and knowing that the labor problem isn’t going away. There are fewer people who want to pick up heavy items out of trucks,” Drumwright said. “They are saying, 'It would be good if we can go ahead and solve this problem now.'"
The utilization of DX-1 to unload containers allows employees in the Armstrong warehouse to focus on less taxing tasks such as sorting, wrapping, and machine operation, according to Alexander Folk, president of Armstrong Transportation Management.
Folk said Armstrong is excited to work with a fellow Memphis-based firm that is intent on solving important supply chain problems through robotics.
“We are always striving to stay on top of cutting-edge supply chain technology in order to service our customers at the highest level,” he said. “Memphis has huge potential to be a hot bed of supply chain innovations through technology and startups by leveraging the amazing logistical advantages that many other U.S. cities cannot offer.”
While Drumwright wouldn’t share the specific cost of the robot, he acknowledged that the cost is on par with the average wages businesses would pay a person doing the same hard labor as the DX-1.
“How we have priced the robot so far has been equivalent to the labor that companies are paying for people doing this job,” Drumwright said. “Also, what we’re able to offer is consistency and scalability of that labor.”
Profitable opportunity
Dextrous Robotics sees a strong market in the future for their product in the manual handling industry.
Drumwright said the firm plans to announce future DX-1 customers beyond Armstrong as those deals develop and are finalized.
“There is an estimated $150 billion market for doing material handling in the U.S. alone,” Drumwright said. “The big challenge in this area has been finding the technology that can solve this problem. Everybody else who has attempted this has gone about it by using suction cups and conveyor belts. We’re doing it the way people do it, which is using manipulation. We know that it works, so we’re going to be the leader in the area. As fast as we can make these robots, we’re going to get them out to the market."
