Summary of Innovation
SlipBot Automated Loading Robots (ALRs) empower anyone to auto-load and auto-unload any truck in just 5 minutes – at any dock, in any trailer, and with zero Wi-Fi or IT integration required. Why is that significant? The global supply chain is a network of networks, with many nodes exchanging freight through one common “universal standard interface”: the loading dock. But the speed and throughput of this dock interface hasn’t increased in over 50 years, making each dock a network bottleneck. Truckers spend 23% of their workday idling at a dock waiting for forklift operators to load and unload their trailer, while forklift operators carry freight between the trailer and staging area as quickly as possible despite the high risks of damage and injury.
Now, those same people can turn any bottlenecked dock into a reliable high-speed interface with the click of a button: using a handheld device to command SlipBot ALRs to auto-load and auto-unload any truck in just 5 minutes. The secret is the proprietary combination of SlipBot’s universally-applicable large ALR form factor, “cobot” product design, and Slip’s robots-as-a-service (RaaS) network that makes truck loading and unloading safe, fast, and fun without the usual robot hassles. Traditional automated trailer loading systems (ATLS) are inflexible and have limited reach since they require costly fixed installations, dock modifications, and custom trailers. Automated forklifts struggle to reliably manipulate varied freight and navigate inside trailers, and even in the best case they can only match the speed of a human-operated forklift at 1-2 pallets per minute. SlipBot ALRs consistently carry 10-20 pallets per minute (and all other freight types, including parcels) between any trailer and staging area – delivering 10X speed AND safety upon arrival at any dock. It just works. Companies using SlipBots have increased dock throughput by 300%, reduced truck and trailer idle time by 91%, reduced labor downtime costs by 85%, reduced total freight damage by 40%, and even increased total facility output by 20% by freeing up productive space in the facility.
Since launching in North America in late-2023, the SlipBot ALR network has ushered in the future of loading and unloading: where truckers don’t have to wait and forklift operators don’t have to risk it. Customers include Tesla, John Deere, Nissan, GE Appliances, among others across the supply chain.
Innovation Statement
SlipBots empower anyone to auto-load and auto-unload any truck in < 5 minutes – at any dock, in any trailer, and with zero Wi-Fi or IT integration required. Slip automates a process – not *just* a vehicle – to seamlessly unlock 10X speed *and* safety at any dock across the supply chain.
Applicability
SlipBots are the first and only solution that auto-loads and auto-unloads any truck in just 5 minutes with no additional infrastructure – delivering speed, safety, and savings upon arrival at any dock in last mile freight, middle mile logistics, manufacturing operations, and across the supply chain.
| Posted Date | 1/22/24 |
| Contact | Jordan Sanders |
| Contact Email | jordan[at]sliprobotics.com |
| Category | Best New Innovation |