Rapid Robotics

R1 Industrial Robot

Client

Rapid Robotics

Project

R1 Industrial Robot

Year

2022

Client

Rapid Robotics is a venture capital-backed startup based in California developing a robotics platform that can be quickly and easily reconfigured and trained for deployment in versatile factory automation applications.

Purpose

The team at Rapid were looking to create a world-class design for their robot platform to convey the high-tech and user-friendly nature of their system.

Disciplines

Hand drawn conceptual and industrial design sketches of miscellaneous objects

Conceptual Design

Mechanical Engineering

Circuit board assembly resting on an electrical circuit schematic blueprint

Electrical Engineering

Lines of multicolored computer code on a curved monitor fading off into the distance

Firmware Development

Man holding a tablet monitoring data from manufacturing equipment seen in the background

Prototype + Mfg Support

Client

Rapid Robotics

Project

R1 Industrial Robot

Year

2022

Client

Purpose

The team at Rapid were looking to create a world-class design for their robot platform to convey the high-tech and user-friendly nature of their system.

Disciplines

Conceptual Design

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Firmware Development

Prototype + Mfg Support

Client

Rapid Robotics

Project

R1 Industrial Robot

Year

2022

Client

Purpose

The team at Rapid were looking to create a world-class design for their robot platform to convey the high-tech and user-friendly nature of their system.

Disciplines

Conceptual Design

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Firmware Development

Prototype + Mfg Support

Our Role

Working in close collaboration with the teams at Rapid Robotics and Card79, our role in this project was to take the high level conceptual design and perform all detailed mechanical engineering design to bring the product to a manufacturing-ready state.

Red Rapid Robotics robot arm with gripper actuator extended towards the screen

Focus on the Base

The focus of this project was on the base of the robot. It needed to be capable of withstanding the forces of the robot arm mounted above, while remaining portable and quickly reconfigurable on the shop floor.

Close-up image of the robot base in a dark warehouse highlighting some design details and access panels

Internal Construction

The base is built by layering steel plates to achieve the required weight, with each plate light enough to be carried and assembled without the use of a crane. Hydraulically lowered castors enable relocating the robot as needed.

Layered steel and hydraulic pump

Close-up image of the external surfaces of the robot base in a dark warehouse

Control Unit

The control unit was another crucial part of this project. It contains the electronics that power the arm and needed to be easily accessible for repair, maintenance or upgrades.

Red Rapid Robotics robot arm beside control module in a dimly lit warehouse

Robot arm control box in a dark warehouse with access panels open to reveal internal electronics

High voltage and low voltage components are separated. The high voltage locked behind a safety panel and the low voltage freely accessible.

Adjustable Work Surfaces

Adjustable work surfaces were another key element of the design. These needed to have the rigidity to hold tools and assembly components, yet be easily adjusted and configured for various production tasks.

Robot arm mounted on base with wheels extended being pushed by an operator using built-in ergonomic handle

The R1 robot and its controller can be easily moved by one person using the ergonomic handle.

Why Work with Us?

If you are working with an industrial design firm and looking to augment their design talent with some technical expertise to produce working prototypes or go into production, we can help. We deeply value design and will work alongside your team to achieve a final product that meets both the functional and aesthetic demands of the project. We deliver design files that help with sourcing to create a full size prototype for testing that will also be manufacturable at scale. We help avoid critical safety issues and common manufacturing pitfalls. Rapid Robotics was able to accelerate their time to market with a beautiful design that embodies their innovative approach to industrial automation.