North - Northwest Austin Edition | January 2024

Business

BY GRACE DICKENS

In the wake of nationwide shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, Contoro Robotics Founder and CEO Youngmok Yun turned to articial intelligence as a way to create stability in future supply chains. Initially born out of a technology he helped develop and commercialize for hand and arm rehabilitation under Harmonic Robotics, Yun has forged a new path in warehouse operations with technology that could dramatically alter the industry: humanoid robots. “At Contoro Robotics, we want to combine AI with human intelligence for better robotics control,” Yun said. The breakdown Founded in 2022, Contoro Robotics is a startup focused on automating the warehouse industry. As supply chain issues resulted in nationwide shortages in 2021-22, Yun and Business Develop- ment Manager John Cook took a deep dive into uncovering the problem. “Companies have to rely on humans to take those boxes o and put them onto a pallet so that it can go through the next link in the supply chain,” Cook said. “During COVID[-19], we didn’t have any labor, and everybody realized how vulnerable the supply chain was as a result.” While Yun brings to the table a decorated back- ground in mechanical engineering, Cook has over 20 years of experience in warehouse management. How it works The North Austin startup relies on the marriage of articial and human intelligence to envision reliable supply chains. A machine with an industrial robotic arm uses AI to locate boxes, pick them up with suction and move them from shipping containers onto conveyor belts. Meanwhile, a worker uses an exoskeleton suit to control the robotic arm remotely from Austin’s control center when necessary to x any prob- lems, such as dropped boxes. As human workers intervene, the human input will allow the AI to continue to learn and improve, Yun said. This combination of AI with human intelli- gence ensures more reliable service for custom- ers, Yun said. Contoro has found that AI alone performs well Contoro Robotics in Austin looks to transform warehouse industry

The exoskeleton suit uses human input to control the robot.

COURTESY CONTORO ROBOTICS

The machine uses a robotic arm with suction to move boxes from one place to another.

(From left) Business Management Director John Cook and CEO Youngmok Yun lead operations at Contoro.

GRACE DICKENSCOMMUNITY IMPACT

98% of the time, meaning one teleoperator can monitor 10 robotic arms at once, Yun said. This means one individual can do the job of 10 people. Going forward While the technology has been distributed to some customers on a smaller scale, the company plans to expand its operations in 2024 with six new robots, and eventually expand into Georgia, California and Tennessee, Yun said.

1807 W. Braker Lane, Ste. C500, Austin www.contoro.com

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