Yaskawa Motoman announces partnerships with university teams for the Amazon Picking Challenge

Yaskawa Motoman has selected Rutgers University’s PRACSYS Lab, The University of Texas Nuclear Robotics Group (NRG) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Autonomous Robotic Collaboration Lab (ARC) to each receive a Motoman dual-arm robot, which will be deployed for the Amazon Picking Challenge (APC).

This open competition aims to further the development of robot capabilities required for e-commerce and other material handling.

“Yaskawa Motoman is pleased to support these teams’ efforts for the Amazon Picking Challenge,” said Erik Nieves, technology director.

Rutgers University PRACSYS Lab
Nieves stated, “The PRACSYS lab is at the forefront of research in motion planning – a crucial element for success in semi-structured environments.”

“Our team selected the SDA10F robot for our entry in the APC,” said Dr. Kostas Bekris, director of the PRACSYS lab. “Its ROS (robot operating system) interface makes it easy for our researchers to immediately begin testing our algorithms and methods,”

The University of Texas Nuclear Robotics Group (NRG)
“NRG’s demonstrated success in advanced robotics applications gives us confidence in their team,” Nieves said. “They have been active in the ROS-Industrial Consortium and will bring their expertise to bear.”

“We have implemented Yaskawa robots for several research projects, so it was a natural fit to use the SDA5F for the APC,” said Mitch Pryor, director of the NRG.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Autonomous Robotic Collaboration Lab (ARC)
“As one of the premier robotics engineering programs in the country, WPI is a great partner for us,” Nieves said. “We are sure Professor Berenson’s team will be very competitive and make full use of our dual-arm technology.”

Dmitry Berenson, director of ARC Laboratory at WPI, said, “The APC gives our students the opportunity to work on an important real world problem. Our lab is eager to get started with the SDA10F and to use its speed and accuracy to enhance our techniques.”

These three teams were chosen after a rigorous selection process. For more information on the APC, visit amazonpickingchallenge.org.