RoboJob launches its first spin off, Helder.AI
RoboJob launches its first spin off, Helder.AI
After nearly twenty years of growth and innovation, RoboJob is writing a new chapter in its history. The specialist in CNC automation is spinning off the AI and vision technology from its Pallet-Load Integrated system into an independent company. Under the name helder.ai, this first spin-off will further develop the technology and introduce it to other industrial sectors. RoboJob itself will continue to focus entirely on the automation of CNC lathes and milling machines.
Over the past two decades, RoboJob has grown from a Belgian start-up into an international market leader in CNC automation. The company has branches in Belgium, Germany and the United States and has now installed more than 2,200 robots in over 30 countries.
With helder.ai, an independent company is now being established for the first time, building on the technology and expertise developed within RoboJob.
From RoboJob innovation to an independent company
helder.ai’s technology is already being used today in the RoboJob Pallet-Load Integrated system. This system utilises a standard 2D RGB camera and AI to accurately determine the position and orientation of workpieces in 3D. This enables the robot to pick up workpieces directly from a pallet, without the need for the expensive 3D cameras, hardware and complex settings often associated with industrial vision systems.
Dozens of Pallet-Load systems are proving the value of this technology to RoboJob’s customers on a daily basis. At the same time, it has become clear that it also offers considerable potential outside the machining industry. That is why helder.ai is now launching as an independent company, with its own team, strategy and technological roadmap.
“The launch of helder.ai shows just how far RoboJob has come over the past twenty years”, says Jelle De Roovere, CEO of RoboJob. “We started with a clear mission: to make CNC automation accessible to every machining company. We now install hundreds of robots worldwide every year and develop technology from which new businesses can emerge. We can be particularly proud of that. At the same time, nothing about RoboJob’s direction is changing: we remain 100 per cent focused on CNC automation and on continuing to support our customers and partners.”
Room for two clear ambitions
The spin-off gives both companies the scope to pursue their own ambitions. RoboJob will continue to invest in user-friendly and flexible automation solutions for CNC lathes and milling machines. Helder.ai will further refine the underlying AI and vision technology and make it available to machine builders and system integrators in other sectors.
In doing so, helder.ai can build on a significant advantage: the technology was not only developed in a research environment, but is already in use in industrial production environments today.
“Helder.ai isn’t starting from an idea on paper, but from technology that proves itself day in, day out with RoboJob’s customers,” says Peter De Roovere, co-founder of helder.ai. “RoboJob provided us with the ideal environment to develop, test and bring that technology to production readiness. Now the time has come to build on that independently with helder.ai. We are proud of our roots and look forward to putting the knowledge we have built up to good use in other industrial applications as well.”
Further development within helder.ai will also yield new insights and opportunities for RoboJob’s solutions. In this way, both companies will remain technologically linked, whilst each retaining a clear market and product focus.