Australian robotics company LYRO Robotics is partnering with Norwegian social robotics specialist Halodi Robotics to develop a ground-breaking new retail robot.

The system will use Halodi Robotics’ EVE robot platform, combined with LYRO Machine Intelligence.

This is the same artificial intelligence (AI), vision and picking technology developed by LYRO Robotics that helped them win the Amazon Robotics Challenge in 2017.

The demonstrator is to be developed at both companies’ locations to demonstrate in-store picking, order fulfilment and restocking of goods in real stores with no infrastructure modification needed.

The joint effort intends to show the feasibility of deploying large fleets of robots in retail to improve efficiency and customer experience.

Their aim is to help retailers build more resilient business models at a time when social interaction is challenging.

The EVE robot is the first genuinely compliant and capable full-size humanoid robot on the market today. It is the ideal platform to demonstrate functionality that will be available in robots brought to market in the next few years.

With a high-end vision system, mobility, and picking technology, the robot will be able to move around in a store at a human pace and perform the dull, repetitive tasks that are essential in retail at close to human speeds.

“We are excited to have the expertise and experience of the LYRO Robotics team help us disrupt the retail industry”, says Bernt Børnich, Chief Executive Officer of Halodi Robotics.

“We are looking forward to a long and mutually rewarding relationship.”

“We are very excited to bring LYRO Machine Intelligence to Halodi Robotics EVE robot” says Managing Director of LYRO, Dr Jürgen Leitner.

“LYRO Machine Intelligence is based on more than a decade of our research into machine learning, robotic vision and grasping. Our system enables any robot to pick and pack the diverse range of items seen in the retail sector.”

Incorporated in August 2019, LYRO’s main goal is to create intelligent robots for picking and packing in various industries globally.

The Brisbane-based company is creating “the brains, eyes and hands” for the next generation of robots. It is now developing state-of-the-art robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence to visually identify, locate, pick and pack a large range of items.

Halodi Robotics, based in Moss, Norway, has developed an adult-sized humanoid robot called Eve for commercial and consumer markets.

Last year, Halodi opened a US office in Oakland, California, in close proximity to Silicon Valley.

The company has already set a world record for highest torque to weight ratio servo motors and highest payload to weight ratio for a robotic arm.

The companies are seeking retail partners for the new pilot starting in 2021.

If you’re interested in becoming an exclusive trial partner contact: [email protected]