In the bustling arena of ProMat 2023 held in Chicago, Unbox Robotics Labs made a significant appearance at booth N9513. The company showcased its innovative plug-and-play robotic technology for intra-logistics automation, known as the UnboxSort system. The founders of Unbox, Pramod Ghadge and Shahid Memon, initially established the company in Bengaluru in 2019, but later relocated to Pune.
Ghadge, who had previously worked at other firms including Flipkart, brings a unique perspective to the table. His experience with deploying robotics and automation for the supply chain of the Indian ecommerce giant opened his eyes to the potential of warehouse automation. He met Memon, a robotics and computer software expert, at Entrepreneur First. Their combined expertise in industrial and systems engineering, manufacturing, mechanical systems, electronics, computers, and programming languages led to the inception of Unbox.
The duo focused their efforts on “swarm intelligence,” a concept that simulates the cooperative behavior of ants, bees, or termites. This notion initially intrigued biologists, but by the 1990s, computer scientists were penning algorithms based on this idea. Gerardo Beni and Jing Wang are credited for introducing swarm intelligence to robotics in 1989. Today, swarm intelligence has developed into a multidisciplinary field that includes robotics, optimization, and distributed computing. Entrepreneurs like Ghadge and Memon are leveraging this concept to develop solutions for complex problems using decentralized, self-organized systems.
The principle behind swarm intelligence is that robots function independently yet in unison towards a common goal, much like insects. Memon explains that this approach results in high throughput for a specific or fixed number of robots. When applied to sortation in warehouses and fulfillment centers, these robots can quickly stack parcels vertically. They can lift packages weighing up to 10 kg, which constitutes the majority of parcels sorted in most warehouses.
The UnboxSort system, according to Ghadge and Memon, assists customers in achieving a three-fold increase in productivity, a sorting accuracy of 99.99 percent, and space efficiency of 50 to 70 percent. Unbox has collaborated with some of the largest third-party logistics providers in India, an ecommerce company, and a major European retailer. Following successful pilot programs to beta-test the robots and software system, all partners have placed additional orders.
The company currently operates 60 robots and anticipates increasing this number to approximately 400 within this fiscal year. Unbox is also planning to expand its operations into the US and Europe.
Unbox Robotics Labs is successfully harnessing the power of swarm intelligence to revolutionize intra-logistics automation. Their innovative approach to warehouse automation through the use of electronics, computers, and coding is a testament to the transformative potential of robotics. The success of UnboxSort is a clear indication of how robotics can enhance productivity and efficiency in the logistics sector. The company’s expansion plans are a promising sign for the future of robotics in logistics, both in India and globally.
