Applying artificial intelligence to robotics is all about furthering innovation. These intelligent machines include self-driving cars, autonomous drones, humanoid robots and autonomous farming equipment with applications for a variety of industries from retail and healthcare to agriculture and defense. They make use of sensors, computer vision technology, machine learning and other AI technologies to perform functions like navigating warehouses and sorting recyclables.
AI Robot Technology
Demand for AI-enabled robotics has been driving substantial growth in the industry. The AI robotics market is expected to reach a worth of upwards of $35 billion by 2026, according to Markets and Markets. That’s more than four times the market’s 2021 size of $6.9 billion.
From making smart consumer products to creating the first human-like artificial brain, the following companies are doing dazzling things with AI robots.
Top Companies Using AI Robot Technology
- Miso Robotics
- Hanson Robotics
- Starship Technologies
- iRobot
- Boston Dynamics
33 AI Robotics Companies
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Piaggio Fast Forward’s AI robot acts as an extra set of hands. Are your groceries too heavy? Maybe you just can’t carry all your workout gear? Piaggio’s gita robot uses AI to follow its owner close behind, acting as a versatile, hands-free carrier.
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Scythe Robotics develops products and technology for the lawn care industry while eliminating pollution risks. The company’s flagship product, M.52, is a commercial, all-electric autonomous mower that uses semantic awareness, 3D mapping, precision localization and planning control to operate. Other features are 360 sensors, noise reduction and all-day battery life.
Location: Wilmington, Massachusetts
Symbotic provides organizations with a comprehensive software platform that can orchestrate the collective movements of an entire robot fleet. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the platform simultaneously connects to robotic arms, autonomous robots and other types of machines. Users of Symbotic’s platform can then coordinate different actions through controls and algorithms while collecting data to inform their processes.
Location: Bedford, Massachusetts
iRobot uses AI in engineering home robots like the Roomba robot vacuum and Braava mopping robots. With the Roomba, users can schedule the robot to continue cleaning while they’re gone, and the Braava robots can be directed to clean with voice commands. The company’s proprietary technology also guides the robots around obstacles while they clean.
Location: Louisville, Colorado
AMP puts AI to work to automate recycling. The AI platform that powers the company’s robotic sorting system is able to recognize recyclable materials and distinguish types of plastics, papers and metals.
Location: San Francisco, California
Starship creates autonomous robots that help to deliver items within a 4-mile radius. These AI robots are able to take items like groceries, food delivery orders or retail store orders and deliver them to customers using artificial intelligence to navigate their route.
Location: San Francisco, California
The Bright Machines Microfactories solution helps companies shift toward automated electronics assembly. The company says its experts in fields like computer vision, machine learning and robotics can advise customers on how to get the most out of the Bright Machines technologies to improve productivity.
Location: Pasadena, California
Miso Robotics creates AI robots for use in commercial kitchens. Its fry station robot Flippy 2 uses AI vision to recognize what kind of food employees have placed in its auto bin. Miso says the robot can perform more than twice as many food prep tasks compared to the original Flippy model.
Location: Derry, New Hampshire
Through the use of robotics, AutoStore aids businesses with order fulfillment solutions. AutoStore specifically delivers cube storage automation, which optimizes space efficiency. The company offers five modules in its system: robots, grids, bins, ports and controllers. Each module’s function collaborates to retrieve order products, manage and store inventory and fulfill orders.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Carbon Robotics supplies the agricultural industry with innovative tools, like the Autonomous LaserWeeder, helping farmers reduce time spent weeding. The product employs hi-resolution cameras that identify crops and weeds in real-time and kill weeds — with lasers — at the meristem. The product is designed to function properly no matter the weather conditions or time of day.
Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot looks like an AI dog robot, and it “has an inherent sense of balance and perception” that’s a product of an AI style the company refers to as “athletic intelligence.” Spot can be used for industrial inspections, allowing customers to use the robot remotely to navigate terrain that might be difficult or hazardous.
Location: San Diego, California
Brain Corp’s proprietary technology makes AI robots adaptable and flexible so they can navigate unstructured environments like warehouses and store floors. The robots also have mapping, routing, surface anomaly detection, object avoidance and cloud-based data capture capabilities. EMMA, a Brain Corp robot, was tested in Walmart stores for after-hour floor cleaning.
Location: Gardena, California
GrayMatter Robotics develops robotics and AI-based software to assist manufacturing operations. More specifically, the company strives to simplify tedious tasks by building AI brains for commercial robots. The company’s first development, Scan&Sand, is a floor operator that uses sensors to sand materials consistently.
Location: Costa Mesa, California
Aerospace and defense tech company Anduril makes software for autonomous entities, which are unmanned aircrafts and vehicles that can be operated remotely. By combining robotics and software capabilities, the company facilitates complex intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions that are conducted without risk to human life.
Location: Austin, Texas
Diligent Robotics uses AI to build robotic assistants for the healthcare industry. The company’s Moxi robot is able to deliver medication and lab samples, and it’s equipped with a robotic arm that allows for navigating doors and elevators.
Location: Austin, Texas
Apptronik builds robots that are designed with dexterity and safety features that enable them to function alongside human workers. The company uses technology like machine learning to develop humanoid robots that can handle difficult-to-fill jobs in industries like logistics and construction.
Location: Rochester Hills, Michigan
Fanuc is a major producer of robotic products for manufacturers, with a portfolio that includes lasers, robodrills and cobots. The company also equips its products with AI-based capabilities. For example, Fanuc added an AI path control function that enhances the precision of its robots by combining machine learning with acceleration sensors to help robots improve their movements over time.
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
While ABB delivers a variety of products for manufacturing and commercial customers, the company has also dabbled at the intersection of AI and robotics. ABB has developed a robotic Item Picker that operates with the help of machine vision and AI, which determine the ideal point for the Item Picker to grasp an object. As a result, the Item Picker can ramp up businesses’ productivity, handling as many as 1,400 items per hour.
Location: Wilmington, Massachusetts
Locus Robotics produces autonomous mobile robots to support warehouse operations. The Locus Max, for example, has a payload capacity of up to 3,000 pounds, while the Locus Origin comes equipped with 8 cameras and sensors so that it can maneuver to work on order fulfillment alongside human counterparts.
Location: Irvine, California
CloudMinds operates robots with a secure cloud network — or ‘cloud brain’ — that possesses natural language processing, computer vision and other AI abilities. The company’s Cloud Pepper leverages this technology to hold conversations with human customers in multiple languages while the Cloud Delivery Robot relies on its cloud brain to navigate different environments and map efficient routes.
Location: Los Angeles, California
Machina Labs is a robotics company using AI to enable advanced manufacturing operations across industries like aerospace and defense. The company’s Robotic Craftsman platform relies on AI to power precise control for processes such as shaping sheet metal, drilling holes and polishing surfaces.
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
MORSE builds autonomous aerial vehicles designed to deliver unique payloads, offer long-range resupply and provide guided cargo delivery for missions regarding U.S. national security. The company’s technology enables navigation in GPS-denied environments. Its vehicles’ capabilities also include alternative positioning, timing and more.
Location: Hong Kong, China
Hanson Robotics creates AI robots that not only have a human appearance, but also operate with human-like characteristics. These AI robots have life-like skin made of Hanson’s proprietary nanotechnology called Frubber and their human-like features include eye contact, facial recognition, speech and the ability to hold natural conversations. The robots can produce high-quality expressions that offer a less mechanical robotic experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are AI robots?
AI robots use sensors and other AI technologies to perform tasks like assembling products, retrieving items and navigating urban environments for package delivery. These robots may take on various forms, ranging from robotic arms to self-driving cars.
What is the most famous AI robot?
Sophia, created by Hanson Robotics, is perhaps the most famous AI robot due to her advanced capabilities. She has made numerous appearances in media, including The Tonight Show and a music video for Leehom Wang’s “A.I. Love.”
What is the largest AI robotics company?
Fanuc and Symbotic are two of the largest AI robotics companies in the world in terms of market capital.
