Dexterity stacks robotics and AI for truck loading

Loading trucks and trailers is a thankless task, requiring workers to repeatedly move boxes of all sizes. Dexterity Inc. has been working with FedEx Corp. and Sagawa Express Co., among others, to automate this process.

Truck unloading requires people or robots to pick from the top and work their way down. By contrast, loading is like “playing 3D Tetris with up to 50-lb. boxes,” said the Redwood City, Calif.-based company.

Dexterity AI has developed DexR, a two-armed robot that uses machine vision, force sensing, and integrated motion planning to pick up a range of items, from stiff cardboard to soft plastic. The mobile system also uses machine learning to get better at packing trailers over time.

The company added that the system can autonomously drive in and out of trailers as it loads or unloads. DexR does not require pre-sequencing to stack boxes into stable walls, it said.

“Based on feedback from our operations team, we have been looking for a solution that helps alleviate the challenges of truck loading,” stated Rebecca Yeung, corporate vice president of Operations Science and Advanced Technologies at FedEx. “Collaborating with Dexterity AI to combine the latest in AI and robotics supports our operations team while meeting growing customer demand.”

Dexterity noted that DexR easily integrates with existing warehouse doors and conveyors, and it can operate at speed in tight spaces. The company said it has built on its experience in singulation and induction, palletization and depalletization, and robotic print and apply.

In addition, Dexterity provides fleet management and data analytics capabilities. It is working with Sumitomo as a distributor for its robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) offering in Japan, with a goal of deploying 1,500 systems by 2026.

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