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Rapid Robotics announced a brand-new integration with Yaskawa America, Inc., Motoman Robotics Div. (Yaskawa Motoman) that will bring industrial capabilities to Rapid Robotics’ Rapid Machine Operator (RMO).

The company is now integrated with the entire Yaskawa robotics portfolio, and can deliver more speed, higher payload and increased performance to a greater number of North American manufacturers with a more diverse range of needs.

“Since our founding in 2019, Rapid Robotics has been committed to providing manufacturers with a holistic workforce solution in the form of accessible, low-risk automation,” Jordan Kretchmer, CEO and Co-Founder of Rapid Robotics, said. “Today, we’re able to deliver on that commitment better than ever through our partnership with Yaskawa Motoman and their legacy of industrial expertise.”

By combining advanced computer vision, artificial intelligence and instinctive learning with as-a-service characteristics including cloud connectivity, monthly leasing and 24/7 support, Rapid Robotics has aimed to democratize automation in the face of an intense workforce shortage.

Now, with the Yaskawa portfolio as an integrated part of the company’s suite of solutions, manufacturers needing an industrial-size solution that previously could not automate due to traditional barriers like cost, inflexibility or lengthy deployments, could have the opportunity to automate.

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“A trusted name in industrial automation for over a hundred years, Yaskawa is an established leader in the robotics market. A partnership with Rapid Robotics opens the door to automation for a large number of enterprises that have previously found it difficult or intimidating to deploy robotic solutions,” Chris Caldwell, Product Manager of Yaskawa Motoman, said. “Yaskawa is excited for the opportunity to offer truly industrial solutions, expanding Rapid Robotics’ capabilities while providing improved cycle-times and return-on-investment for end users. By combining strengths, Rapid Robotics’ advanced vision systems and state-of-the-art AI allow Yaskawa’s full line of robotic manipulators to shift repetitive or dangerous tasks away from your human workforce, freeing them to perform more fulfilling work.”

A trademark of Rapid Robotics’ solutions is a high speed of deployment. This holds true for the new industrial RMO due to the company’s modular approach to work cell design. Streamlined industrial Yaskawa robots with robust capabilities take full advantage of that approach, avoiding interference with peripheral devices, and keeping the installation space of an industrial RMO work cell minimal.

A key feature of this re-imagined work cell is an innovative mobile robot pedestal with modular fixturing. The mobile pedestal gives this light industrial arm the same flexibility as Rapid Robotics’ collaborative robot (cobot) solution as the pedestal can be easily moved or reconfigured and then re-locked into place by a single person.

Historically, industrial robotic arms can be more challenging and time-consuming to deploy than their cobot counterparts, especially outside of mass production environments, due to their complexity and the extensive safety measures required. Rapid Robotics’ industrial RMO offers all the flexibility of a cobot solution while meeting all mandatory safety measures with the added payload, speed and reach of a traditional industrial arm.