RE2 and PickNik announce strategic partnership

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The RE2 Sapien Sea Class is a dual arm system designed for deep ocean use. | Source: RE2 Robotics

RE2 Robotics and PickNik Robotics announced a strategic partnership to develop RE2’s autonomous robotic systems with PickNik’s Movelt Studio software. 

PickNik’s Movelt Studio is the company’s motion planning software. RE2 is using it to speed up the integration of its RE2 Sapien and RE2 Sapien Sea Class robotic arms for new applications. 

Movelt Studio is based on PickNik’s open-sourced Movelt 2 platform. RE2 already uses Movelt for advanced trajectory planning and collision avoidance to augment its other products RE2 Detect, its computer vision software, and RE2 Intellect, its autonomy software.

“At a rapid rate, businesses in the construction, aviation, and energy industries are turning to robotics to increase productivity and enhance worker safety as they continue to adjust to the challenges that are being presented by both widespread labor shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jorgen Pedersen, president and CEO of RE2, said. “As the market demand for our technology continues to soar, formally partnering with PickNik Robotics allows us to focus on our computer vision and autonomy algorithms, RE2 Detect and RE2 Intellect, knowing that we have a trusted solution for motion planning.”

The Movelt 2 platform is an industry standard for robotic arm control through ROS 2. RE2 Robotics’ Sapien family of robotic arms was unveiled in April 2021. RE2 Sapien arms are meant to provide human-like capabilities beyond traditional industrial arms and collaborative robots. The RE2 Sapien Sea Class is a dual-armed system designed for deep ocean use. 

“Using our MoveIt Studio software, companies such as RE2 Robotics can speed up development of complex motion planning in their robotic arm applications,” Dave Coleman, CEO of PickNik, said. “We are really impressed by the capabilities of RE2’s robot arms and the variety of applications they are tackling. It is exciting to partner with them, bringing our advanced software and expertise to help them meet the high demand for their technology.”

Earlier this month, RE2 announced a developmental partnership with JLG Industries, a global manufacturer of mobile elevating work platforms and telehandlers. The companies aim to advance the integration of robotics with access equipment. 

RE2 won an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award in 2021 for its Outdoor Autonomous Manipulation of Photovoltaic Panels (O-AMPP) robotic system that can autonomously deliver and install photovoltaic (PV) modules.