Mujin TruckBot accelerates automated truck unloading

Robots are moving from the factory and warehouse floor out to the loading dock. Mujin Corp. said its TruckBot system can unload up to 1,500 cases per hour.

“TruckBot is a game-changer for warehouses looking to streamline their operations and reduce costs,” stated Ross Diankov, CEO of Mujin, when the system was launched at ProMAT 2023.

“The dock door is the largest bottleneck in our supply chain, and unloading trailers is back-breaking work,” he added. “TruckBot will improve safety and effectiveness for warehouses across the globe while unlocking the possibility for true fully-autonomous operations.”

TruckBot is able to handle everything from boxes weighing up to 50 lb. to mixed-SKU loads, said Suwanee, Ga.-based Mujin, which also has offices in China, Japan, and the Netherlands. The company said it has been developing TruckBot for more than six years.

Suction grippers with multiple channels allow for opportunistic multi-picking, and an integrated conveyor maximizes throughput, said Mujin. The telescoping TruckBot can reach up to 52 ft. into a truck trailer or a shipping container.

In addition, the company said its MujinController planning software provides the precision and flexibility for complex unloading scenarios. With it, TruckBot can autonomously make decisions in real time, handling different package types and load configurations, said Mujin.

“Machine intelligence is the combination of the digital twin, real-time control, motion planning, and perception,” Diankov told The Robot Report. “These four components allow a machine to reason about its surroundings in a predictable way and to complete tasks in an optimal way.”

The company first expanded into North America in 2021, continued its European expansion last year, and finalized Series C extension funding in December.

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