Fetch

Two mobile robots with articulated arms, camera sensor, and an accordion-style section in the base that has raised one higher than the other. — Fetch can raise its torso. Photo: Fetch Robotics

Fetch is a mobile manipulation platform designed to operate in human work environments. It can navigate autonomously and has an articulated arm for grabbing items off bins and shelves.

Creator

Fetch Robotics

(Fetch Robotics was acquired by Zebra Technologies in 2021.)

Year

2014

Country

United States 🇺🇸

Categories

Features

Fetch robots at OpenAI, a research lab backed by Elon Musk. Video: Fetch Robotics

Did you know?

OpenAI, a research group founded by Elon Musk, is using Fetch robots and machine learning to improve mobile manipulation.

Close up of a robot positioning it's articulated arm to grip a box of cereal from a shelf. — Fetch! Good robot. Photo: Evan Ackerman

History

Fetch Robotics was founded in early 2015 by a team of robot experts who had started Unbounded Robotics just two years before. The founders, including Fetch CEO Melonee Wise, all worked at Willow Garage, and Unbounded was a mobile manipulation-focused spin-off of Willow. Fetch was a fresh start that allowed the new company to fully develop their concept for an intelligent, robust, and efficient autonomous mobile robotic system for warehouses and factories. In 2021, Zebra Technologies acquired Fetch for US $305 million.

Two robots in front of a shelf of cereal in a store. A short mobile base carries a blue container while a tall mobile manipulation humanoid drops something into the container. — Fetch and Freight work together to gather goods. Photo: Evan Ackerman

Close up of the robot's blue rectangular head showing it's camera sensor eyes. — Look into my sensor eyes! Photo: Evan Ackerman

Specs

Overview: Manipulator arm with 7 degrees of freedom and payload of 6 kilograms. Modular gripper with easy gripper swapping. Pan and tilt head. Torso with adjustable height. Ability to reach items on the floor. ROS enabled.
Status: Ongoing
Year: 2014
Website: fetchrobotics.com
Width: 50.8 cm
Height: 109.6 cm (149.1 cm | 58.7 in fully extended)
Weight: 113.3 kg
Speed: 3.6 km/h
Sensors: Primesense Carmine 3D sensor, one inertial measurement unit (IMU) for gripper and one for the base
Actuators: Mobile robot differential drive train with pan-tilt head and telescoping spine
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 11 (Base: 2 DoF; Spine: 1 DoF; Arm: 7 DoF; Gripper: 1 DoF)
Materials: Aluminum, steel, plastic skins
Compute: Intel i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 120 GB SSD
Software: Ubuntu 14.04, Robot Operating System (ROS), custom navigation packages, MoveIt!
Power: Sealed lead-acid battery, 9 hours of operation
Cost: 100000 (base price)