Flexiv Unveils First Adaptive Robotic Arm, Bringing Third-Generation Robotics Technology
The world's first adaptive robot made its debut at the 2019 Hannover Messe in Germany.
- World's First Adaptive Robot Debuts at 2019 Hannover Messe
**- **Capable of handling a wider range of tasks across different industries and scenarios, even working efficiently in uncertain environments
**- **Comprehensive innovation from the bottom layer to the top, all-in-one robot design with powerful adaptability
**- **Proprietary force control and AI technology developed by veteran robotics and AI experts
Recently, at the 2019 Hannover Messe in Germany, AI robotics company Flexiv unveiled its next-generation robotics technology: the adaptive robot, and launched its latest product — the first adaptive robotic arm, Rizon (Fuxiao). Rizon is the world's first adaptive robot, combining force control and advanced AI technology to lay an important foundation for eventually completing complex tasks through robotics in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and other fields.
The adaptive robot has three key characteristics that distinguish it from previous industrial and collaborative robot technologies: extremely high error tolerance, strong anti-interference capability, and powerful intelligent transferable work capability. Combining force control and advanced AI technology, Flexiv achieves excellent visual perception, force-guided control, and flexible task planning capabilities, allowing its robotic arm to work efficiently in uncertain environments.
To achieve such adaptability, Flexiv independently developed new axis joints, joint torque controllers, proprietary force sensing technology, and a hierarchical robot intelligence system. On the other hand, through hardware architecture design and a torque-based control framework, Flexiv's robot products meet industrial-grade safety standards and possess inherent safety in human-robot interaction and uncertain environments. Industrially, Rizon can complete complex tasks such as polishing, assembly, plugging and unplugging, and force-based quality testing.
"Through comprehensive innovation from the hardware foundation to the system top layer, our robots possess extremely high dexterity, capable of handling complex tasks in uncertain environments, providing human-like delicate operation and tactile feedback, helping to achieve broader automation and intelligence in industry and other sectors, and improving people's quality of life," said Shiquan Wang, Flexiv co-founder and CEO.
Through AI vision technology mounted on depth cameras, Rizon can perceive and identify objects in complex, uncertain environments, and in real-time combine force sensing for task and operation planning. Furthermore, AI technology not only enables the robot to learn basic movements in different application scenarios, but also to automatically plan and complete complex tasks by combining already mastered capabilities. This significantly reduces the installation and commissioning cycle of automation systems.
"It's rare to see a startup develop a new type of robotic arm from scratch, innovatively achieving precise force control systems and integrating leading AI technology, applicable in automotive, 3C manufacturing, agriculture, and other fields. Flexiv has a first-class team with huge room for future growth," said Yue Bin, founding partner of Gaorong Ventures and a Flexiv investor.
Applying adaptive robotic arms can bring advantages such as simplified installation and commissioning processes, reduced downtime, lower labor costs, streamlined production lines, and elimination of redundant additional equipment, thereby generating considerable value for enterprises. Compared with traditional robot solutions, adaptive robot solutions offer extremely high cost-performance ratio while maintaining high quality.
Flexiv announced the launch of its EAP (Early Adopter Program) for key customers, validating the feasibility of adaptive robot system solutions through pilot projects. It has already attracted several world-leading manufacturers, allowing Flexiv to reach preliminary cooperation with industry-leading enterprises and provide customized Rizon deployment solutions in actual industrial scenarios.
Traditional robots use position control; the second generation of collaborative robots introduced force detection, taking an important step toward human-robot collaboration. The third generation goes further: the adaptive robot developed by Flexiv possesses excellent force control and AI technology, bringing more flexible, adaptive, and intelligent automation solutions, completing tasks that traditional robots find difficult, expanding the robotics market, and allowing robots to be more widely applied across various industries.
Since its founding, Flexiv has received capital support from many top investors, completing financing of over 150 million RMB. Investment institutions include GSR Ventures, Gaorong Ventures, ZhenFund, Shenzhen Tsinghua Research Institute, M Fund, and Shunwei Capital.
About Flexiv
Flexiv (www.flexiv.com) is a global AI robotics company with leading technology, focusing on the R&D and production of adaptive robot products integrating high-precision force control, computer vision, and artificial intelligence, providing comprehensive and innovative solutions and services based on Flexiv robot systems for customers in different industries. Founded in 2016, Flexiv's core founding team comes from Stanford University's Robotics and AI Lab.
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