RoPlus Robotics was founded by a team of 5 young individuals who after experiencing the gap left by social distancing measures a few years ago, decided to commercialize the soft adaptive robotic gripping solutions they were developing at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Last March, RoPlus’ expandable end-of-arm tool was in action at a Coca-Cola Singapore assembly and packing line for bags of powdered ingredients. This implementation was significant because the tool worked seamlessly with a smart vision detection system that could identify and locate clear plastic bags as well as adjust its grip on powder bags that will ‘collapse’ into irregular shapes and sizes.
Time and effort was saved because there was no need for production technicians to manually change the grip and set up of robot arms, and RoPlus co-founder, Low Jin Huat expressed his pride and excitement at the solution’s success.
Little did anyone know that 8 months later, this optimism around soft robotic grippers could amp up even further. During a large regional tech conference, Nvidia’s Senior Director, Enterprise Business of ASEAN and ANZ, Dennis Ang, had talked about physical AI-powered humanoids that are now possible thanks to the GPU maker’s innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), robot learning frameworks, digital twins, video processing, and more.
Dennis addressed his audience, “We believe that the next ChatGPT moment, which is for generative AI, is really around humanoid robotics.”
Nvidia’s Dennis Ang presentation during an FPT event in Vietnam. Robotic hands with soft gripper technology mimic daily human chores that require dexterity and adaptability.
The potential use of soft gripper technology in humanoid robots is vast and promising, driven by the need for human-like dexterity, adaptability, and safety in interactions with humans and various environments in sectors like healthcare, hospitality and F&B service, and logistics and manufacturing.
Since packing various-sized bags into carton boxes at Coca-Cola, RoPlus has worked on other client use cases, one of them being a bee hoon manufacturer that wanted to automate an important bee hoon making process. One RoPlus robotic arm solution consisting of adaptive gripping solutions, currently can replace up to two human operators and save around 1,300 man hours per month.
Identifying the gap
Automation use cases in various industries have increased by leaps and bounds. The pandemic may have given automation and robotics a much needed impetus to start deployments, but now it is no longer about filling the gaps left behind by social distancing but achieving real productivity and efficiency.
“Many people thought the market was already saturated with robotics solutions,” Jin Huat recalled. “But what we discovered was that while there were plenty of robots out there, very few offered the kind of intelligent, adaptive capabilities that modern robotics and automation demands.”
RoPlus is positioned well to take advantage of this growth thanks to the universality of their grippers which are compatible with most robotic arm brands in the market and will easily interoperate via convenient plug-and-play interfaces.
The company’s focus on intelligent soft robotic grippers and advanced vision systems emerged from observations of the industry. “We kept hearing the same challenges repeatedly, Jin Huat said, “Companies needed solutions that could handle delicate components one minute and irregular shapes the next, all while maintaining adaptability and speed.”
RoPlus which began as a spin off from the National Robotics Program (NRP) in 2021, has clients in Singapore, Japan, South Africa. “Our unique selling proposition (USP) is being able to offer soft grippers with 3D-printed fingers that are customizable,” Jin Huat explained.
This makes their end-of-arm expandable tool together with smart visioning technology, very suitable for the food & beverage sector where fragile items to be handled like plates, cups, ingredients and more, are a-plenty.
Meeting Industry-Specific Demands
Different industries present unique challenges for automation. In electronics manufacturing, components are becoming increasingly delicate and miniaturized. Food processing requires careful handling and strict hygiene standards. Pharmaceutical packaging demands absolute precision and contamination prevention.
To be able to reach as wide an audience as possible, RoPlus also offers 3D printing of soft actuators, on-demand and at low-cost using a type of thermoplastic elastometer. RoPlus has also developed hybrid actuators whereby the bending profile and rigidity of the actuator can be programmed and adjusted.
To ensure accurate detection of items to be picked and placed, RoPlus has 2D and 3D vision systems powered by deep learning algorithms that interoperate with its gripping solutions.
The next frontier
RoPlus focuses on developing technologies that address specific industry challenges, from handling delicate electronic components to managing irregular shapes in food processing.
For example, pneumatic pressure sensors and programmable finger segment technology.
When asked about the next frontier to face and possibly seeing RoPlus’ soft gripper fingers on humanoid robots, Jin Huat said, “Currently, we are integrating our 3D-printed finger actuators with traditional robotic hands to maintain softness while achieving dexterity.”
The demand for soft gripper technology is on an upward trajectory, fueled by its applications in various industries and the need for efficient automation solutions. The soft robotic gripper market size was valued at USD1.38 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 2.41 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 7.46%.
RoPlus is positioned well to take advantage of this growth thanks to the universality of their grippers which are compatible with most robotic arm brands in the market and will easily interoperate via convenient plug-and-play interfaces. Seamless interoperability features like this, can help soft robotics gripper technologies like RoPlus capture a share of the robotics market and even when combined with traditional rigid grippers.
With continuous advancements in design and functionality, soft grippers are poised to play a critical role in the future of robotics, and maybe someday, humanoid robots.
