Award-winning soft gripper is company's first product developed specifically for collaborative robot space

CAMBRIDGE, Mass — August 29, 2018 — Soft Robotics Inc. announces that the advanced capabilities of Soft Robotics technology are now available on all Universal Robots as a Universal Robots Plus certified product. With todays announcement, Soft Robotics introduces the Soft Robotics Development Kit — UR+ (SRDK-UR+), the first plug-and-play Soft Robotics customizable gripper system designed specifically for Universal Robots. The SRDK-UR+ will be demonstrated at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, IL from September 10-15, 2018 in the Universal Robots booth (#236861).

The SRDK-UR+ is a one-of-a-kind soft robotic gripping system, specifically designed for Universal Robots. It enables the adaptive handling of unstructured tasks and objects of varying size, shape and weight with a single, integrated and easy-to-use solution. With the SRDK-UR+, users can quickly prototype, test and validate an infinite number of applications, such as machine tending, high-speed packaging, pick and place, assembly and CNC machine automation. This plug-and-play kit enables a new world of collaborative robotic automation, making it easy to configure and deploy solutions.

Soft Robotics designs and builds soft robotic automation systems that can grasp and manipulate items with human hand-like dexterity. Blending patented material science and AI, Soft Robotics unlocks automation for large meaningful markets and labor-starved industries such as food and beverage, advanced manufacturing, and e-commerce. Current in-production customers include one of the worlds largest pizza retailers, a Fortune 50 consumer products company, and Just Born Foods (maker of Peeps).

"Our goal is to make Universal Robots easy for our customers to implement in any industry, for any application. Soft Robotics shares this same philosophy, and bringing Soft Robotics technology to Universal Robots is a great solution for our customers looking to automate processes that require manipulation of items with the same dexterity as a human hand," said Anders Bo Rasmussen, Senior Product Manager, Universal Robots.

"Were thrilled to bring Soft Robotics technology to Universal Robots, and develop the first customizable gripper system specifically designed for the collaborative robot space," said Carl Vause, CEO of Soft Robotics. "Together, Soft Robotics and Universal Robots are transforming how manufacturers can handle variable, unstructured tasks that previously were untouched by industrial robotics and automation."

The SRDK-UR+ is now available for pre-order and will soon be available as part of the Universal Robots Plus program, an online showroom that provides cutting-edge products to customize a UR robot application. For more information, visit: https://www.softroboticsinc.com/srdk-urplus.

About Soft Robotics:
Soft Robotics designs and builds soft robotic automation systems that can grasp and manipulate items of varying size, shape and weight. Spun out of the Whitesides Group at Harvard University, Soft Robotics is the only company to be commercializing this groundbreaking and proprietary technology platform. Today, the company is a global enterprise solving previously off-limits automation challenges for customers in food & beverage, advanced manufacturing and e-commerce. Soft Robotics engineers are building an ecosystem of robots, control systems, data and machine learning to enable the workplace of the future. For more information, please visit www.SoftRoboticsInc.com or follow the company @SoftRoboticsInc.