Copyright © 2019 CapSen Robotics, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Capio Sensus” ~ To understand the senses

We write software that gives 

robots more spatial intelligence.
We need smarter robots

$620 billion

➢ U.S. labor cost / year on “physical work done in 

highly structured and predictable environments” 

that could be automated with “currently 

demonstrated technology.” ~ 2017 McKinsey study

$2 billion

➢ 2018 U.S. robot sales

50 to 1

➢ Person-to-robot worker ratio in U.S. manufacturing

(14 to 1 in S. Korea)

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/digital-disruption/harnessing-automation-for-a-future-that-works

https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/us-robot-density-now-more-than-double-that-of-china-ifr-says
We need smarter robots now

➢ Labor shortages due to:

• 3.5% unemployment

• 10,000 baby boomers 

reach retirement every day

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/digital-disruption/harnessing-automation-for-a-future-that-works

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/work-overview/work-safety-introduction/

➢ 550,000 American manufacturing workers 

injured on the job in 2017 (272 deaths)
Hard jobs for robots

https://drive.google.com/open?id=14SuiUOtyq7SjQO8P6obsjFPjQ5XPeWFO

These tasks are:

● Physically demanding

● Extremely repetitive

But still require a great

deal of spatial intelligence:

● Fine manipulations

● Hand-eye coordination

● Picking in clutter

● Operating machinery
Our Solution Bin Picking

Palletizing / Depalletizing

● Pick objects from clutter

● Precise placement (position & orientation)

● High-level task planning:

➢ Disentanglement

➢ Stacking / Unstacking

● Fast cycle time (1 sec. image processing / planning)

● Wide range of part sizes (1 cm – 1 meter)

● Works with any robot

● Supports multiple 3D cameras

CapSen PiCTM

3D vision software, full motion planning & control
Our Platform

Vision Planning

Multimatrix

CapSen SDK

Extensive software infrastructure

Developed in-house

GPU-accelerated

Multimatrix—a CapSen-developed software

library for parallel matrix computations

Application

To meet your challenges, we offer:

➢ Existing solutions

➢ Bin picking

➢ Machine tending

➢ Palletizing / Depalletizing

➢ 3D Scanning / Object Recognition

➢ Advanced R&D capabilities

➢ Custom systems for your needs
Our demo videos

Overview of CapSen capabilities

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qKbHFjBaSNHpiKN-H0xRsexRuaslxVQI

Hook picking robot we recently installed at a wire & spring factory:

https://youtu.be/fcvulzMQ1kg

Picking springs:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HbnLtW4mSVq5aVVY9

Picking screws:

https://drive.google.com/a/capsenrobotics.com/file/d/10JxloRsfS1YCitcN6QZymAZ9H-pHWesn/view

Picking bolts with a magnet:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hz4MOgHcRHC2ZFT5UHKwjWE8OFvog1Kc

Picking bolts with fingers:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yBsN0STPLhlWTPqYK_BOx4ZtU-LfUZTM
Recent installations

Wire & Spring Manufacturer

➢ Pick hooks out of a bin and

insert them into a press

Fortune 500 Nuclear Tech. Company

➢ Scan and spray objects the robot 

has never seen before
Competitive advantage

➢ Complete solution (vision + motion planning + control)

➢ World’s first entangled-part bin picking

➢ Can detect & pick very small parts (screws, nuts, etc.)

➢ Multiple competitors in bin picking

➢ Most provide only vision + grasp analysis

(not full motion planning)

➢ We’re not a bin picking company...

we’re a spatial intelligence company
Application #1

● Traditional manufacturer 

(80+ years)

● Experts at what they do

● Family business
● Rich (Ace Wire Spring):

Nobody likes doing this job. 

Can we use a robot?
● Rich (Ace Wire Spring):

Nobody likes doing this job. 

Can we use a robot?

● Jared (CapSen):

➢ Random bin picking

➢ Small, complex parts

➢ Precise placements

➢ Parts can get entangled!

➢ Never been done before...
● Step 1

Scan in 3D models of the 

objects to be picked
● Step 2

Make sure our detection 

software can accurately 

locate the objects

● Step 1

Scan in 3D models of the 

objects to be picked
● Step 2...

Make sure our detection software can accurately locate the objects
● Step 2...

Make sure our detection software can accurately locate the objects

This is what the robot sees
● Step 2...

Make sure our detection software can accurately locate the objects

1. Select a 3D sensor

➢ PhoXi M
● Step 2...

Make sure our detection software can accurately locate the objects

1. Select a 3D sensor

➢ PhoXi M

2. Tune sensor params

➢ Exposure times

➢ Proj. patterns (number & orientation)

➢ Noise filtering
● Step 2...

Make sure our detection software can accurately locate the objects

1. Select a 3D sensor

➢ PhoXi M

2. Tune sensor params

➢ Exposure times

➢ Proj. patterns (number & orientation)

➢ Noise filtering

3. Tune CapSen params

➢ # detections vs. processing time

➢ (Optional) Train a new ML model
● Step 2...

Make sure our detection software can accurately locate the objects

1. Select a 3D sensor

➢ PhoXi M

2. Tune sensor params

➢ Exposure times

➢ Proj. patterns (number & orientation)

➢ Noise filtering

3. Tune CapSen params

➢ # detections vs. processing time

➢ (Optional) Train a new ML model

4. Test

➢ If not good enough, return to step 1, 2, or 3
● Step 3

Select a robot arm

Repeatability: 30 microns
● Step 4

Design fingers & fixtures

● Step 3

Select a robot arm

Repeatability: 30 microns
● Step 5

Task configuration
● Step 6

Full system test @CapSen

● Step 5

Task configuration
● Step 7

Install @Ace

https://youtu.be/fcvulzMQ1kg
Fortune 500 Nuclear Tech. Co.

➢ Scan and spray objects the 

robot has never seen before

Application #2
Fortune 500 Nuclear Tech. Co.

➢ Scan and spray objects the 

robot has never seen before

1. Some types of sensor noise are OK 

(multiple views are stitched together)

➢ Missing points

➢ Unbiased, Gaussian noise

Application #2
Fortune 500 Nuclear Tech. Co.

➢ Scan and spray objects the 

robot has never seen before

1. Some types of sensor noise are OK 

(multiple views are stitched together)

➢ Missing points

➢ Unbiased, Gaussian noise

2. Some types of 3D modeling errors are OK

➢ Small holes

➢ Missing details

Application #2
Fortune 500 Nuclear Tech. Co.

➢ Scan and spray objects the 

robot has never seen before

1. Some types of sensor noise are OK 

(multiple views are stitched together)

➢ Missing points

➢ Unbiased, Gaussian noise

2. Some types of 3D modeling errors are OK

➢ Small holes

➢ Missing details

3. System failures:

➢ Collision

(Due to missing object part)

➢ Incomplete coverage

(Due to incorrect model shape)

Application #2
1. Many 3D vision-guided robotic applications 

(including bin picking) are still at the bleeding edge

➢ Require customization / parameter tuning of sensors & 

software for each installation

Lessons?
1. Many 3D vision-guided robotic applications 

(including bin picking) are still at the bleeding edge

➢ Require customization / parameter tuning of sensors & 

software for each installation

2. Different applications can have vastly different 

performance metrics

➢ This argues for having many standards to choose from 

and/or complete end-to-end system testing

Lessons?
1. Many 3D vision-guided robotic applications 

(including bin picking) are still at the bleeding edge

➢ Require customization / parameter tuning of sensors & 

software for each installation

2. Different applications can have vastly different 

performance metrics

➢ This argues for having many standards to choose from 

and/or complete end-to-end system testing

3. Performance metrics depend on many inputs

➢ Sensor, sensor params, software params, environment, etc...

Lessons?
1. Many 3D vision-guided robotic applications 

(including bin picking) are still at the bleeding edge

➢ Require customization / parameter tuning of sensors & 

software for each installation

2. Different applications can have vastly different 

performance metrics

➢ This argues for having many standards to choose from 

and/or complete end-to-end system testing

3. Performance metrics depend on many inputs

➢ Sensor, sensor params, software params, environment, etc...

Lessons?