Stretch (robot)

2021: Announcement of Stretch robot for moving goods in warehouses

At the end of March 2021, Boston Dynamics introduced the new Stretch robot. It is designed to move goods in warehouses.

The Stretch robot is equipped with a square mobile base with wheels, a "perception mast" with cameras and sensors with which it tracks the situation, as well as a robotic hand with seven degrees of freedom and a set of suction cups at the end, thanks to which it can capture and move boxes weighing up to 23 kg.

What links Stretch to other Boston Dynamics developments is mobility. Typically, automation equipment for warehouse use is installed in one location around which the workspace is modeled. The Stretch robot can independently move to any place in the warehouse where it is necessary to load or unload the boxes.

Boston Dynamics introduced a robot to move goods in warehouses

This is what's exciting about this system: it can automate processes where there is no suitable infrastructure, "said Boston Dynamics Vice President of Business Development Michael Perry. - You can take this opportunity to apply the development in the truck body, you can move it to the aisles, you can place it next to the conveyors. It all depends on what tasks you need to perform.

According to Boston Dynamics, Stretch can move up to 800 boxes per hour, which is comparable to the performance of an employee. The presence of large-capacity batteries allows the Stretch robot to operate continuously for eight hours before recharging is required.

The company says that the robot can be controlled by anyone who has only a few hours of training, and the presence of a mobile base in the robot means that it can be located in spaces designed for people to work. As of the end of March 2021, Boston Dynamics continues to look for customers to pilot Stretch, the company plans for commercial implementation in 2022.^[1]

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