Aptiv and Robust.AI have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop AI-driven collaborative robots (cobots) designed to enhance automation efficiency and safety. The partnership will combine Aptiv’s portfolio, including Wind River platforms and tools, with Robust.AI’s robotics expertise and human-centered design to accelerate innovation in warehouse and industrial automation.
“Aptiv, together with our strategic partners, is enabling the future of the intelligent edge through technologies that sense, think, act, and optimize in real time,” said Javed Khan, executive vice president and president of software, advanced safety and user experience, Aptiv. “By combining Aptiv’s intelligent perception, compute and software solutions with Robust.AI’s innovative robotics platform, we are accelerating the deployment of scalable, AI-powered solutions that deliver real value across multiple industries.”
The collaboration will combine Aptiv’s perception portfolio and machine learning technologies with the Robust.AI robotics platform to deliver scalable, secure and intelligent robotic workflows. The cobots will feature Aptiv Radar ML and Behavior ML, integrating advanced machine learning for real-time perception and dynamic path planning in complex environments (and built on Aptiv’s ADAS technology); Aptiv’s PULSE Sensor, a compact, surround-view camera paired with an ultrashort-range radar, enabling reliable and accurate 360° sensing; and Robust.AI’s platform architecture, featuring AI-driven optical sensors, real-time SLAM, a patented holonomic drive system and a force-sensitive handlebar that allows instant handover to human operators. These intuitive technologies enhance productivity, efficiency, and safety in collaborative environments.
The project will include an expanded proof-of-concept using Aptiv compute and Wind River platforms, including VxWorks RTOS and Helix Hypervisor, to deliver high performance, low latency and flexible virtualization for diverse system designs.
Robust.AI’s Carter is a multifunctional robot designed to augment existing workforces. Its software-defined design combines the functions of three robots – fulfillment picking, point-to-point transportation and mobile sorting – enabling multiple workflows on a single platform. With drop-in automation capabilities, Carter delivers rapid productivity gains and provides data-driven insights to optimize operations, enhance warehouse efficiency, and support continuous improvement. This flexibility allows customers to easily adapt Carter to their facility’s changing needs.
“Aptiv’s expertise in developing advanced AI models, sensors, and real-time operating systems for autonomous vehicles will enhance Carter’s ability to safely collaborate with human operators in dynamic, close-quarter environments,” said Rodney Brooks, co-founder and CTO at Robust.AI. “Integrating these AI-powered capabilities will enable us to leapfrog even other advanced solutions and bring Carter’s enhanced productivity and efficiency benefits to new industries.”
In related news, WeRide and Bosch achieve SOP for one-stage end-to-end ADAS platform