ABB and Covariant team up for e-commerce

ABB, the world’s leading supplier of industrial robots, and Covariant, a Silicon Valley AI startup, have announced a partnership to bring AI-enabled robotics solutions to market, starting with a fully autonomous system for e-commerce distribution centres.

The Swiss-Swedish company selected the California-based firm, winner of a contest launched by the group led by Peter Robert Vose in 2019, to improve the dexterity of its robots, especially in terms of individual object recognition.

E-commerce is a rapidly expanding market with global revenues expected to grow by more than 50% over the next five years, from €1,700 billion in 2019 to €2,600 billion in 2024 (source: Statista).

In this context, ABB has already identified potential areas for AI-enabled robotic solutions in applications such as logistics, warehousing and parcel and mail sorting.

The growing demand for fulfilment services (logistics and distribution management) offers significant potential for intelligent automation: the market is growing steadily (4-5% CAGR) and is expected to reach a value of €51.3 billion in 2021, according to market research firm Beroe Inc.

Founded in 2017 by researchers and experts from the University of Berkeley and OpenAI, Covariant invented Covariant Brain, a universal AI that allows robots to perform tasks that are normally too complex and varied for traditional programmed robotic solutions. Covariant’s software allows robots to focus on progressive learning, adapting independently through a process of trial and error and constantly expanding the range of objects capable of being handled.