Instock came onto our radar when it became part of the Amazon Industrial Fund’s portfolio of robotics investments. This is the same fund that invested in Agility Robotics and many other notable companies.

Instock is taking a unique and flexible approach to automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS). Most of these systems involve complex racking that moves bins around and places them onto autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that bring those bins to picking robots or human pickers.

Instock doesn’t take this approach. Instead, the only moving part within the system is the AMRs, which pick up the bins themselves by gripping the bin wings and bringing them to workstations.

To travel between levels and maximize space, Instock’s AMRs drive along curved ramps placed at the end of the company’s modular racks. The AMRs then use magnets to drive upside down along the ceiling of the rack. When on the ceiling, the robot places itself above a bin and grabs from the top with its unique gripper.

The AMRs can then use the ramps to travel to whatever level they need to be at to deliver the bin to picking stations. The AMRs use the same system to bring bins back to the racks.

Because the only moving part within the entire system is the AMRs, Instock’s ASRS is easy to fix when things go wrong. Similar systems might require the entire ASRS to be shut down while repairs are made to one module, but with Instock, users simply need to remove the malfunctioning robot for maintenance. Instock’s unique ASRS is more flexible and could require less maintenance than traditional systems.

Explore the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024.