Festo launches GripperAI, AI-powered software that enables robots to handle mixed and randomly positioned products without extensive programming

Festo introduced GripperAI, software that automatically identifies optimum gripping points and selects appropriate grippers from available end-of-arm tools, allowing robots to adapt to changing product mixes in real time without requiring operators to load templates or reconfigure the system between different product variants (SKUs).

The software operates locally on a standard industrial PC connected to a 3D camera, calculates gripping points automatically, and communicates required motion to the robot's path control system; if a grip is unsuccessful, the software recalculates and retries. It works with vacuum and mechanical grippers and is compatible with most industrial robots, cobots, and Cartesian handling systems.

The technology has been proven in logistics applications where robots identify, grip and package thousands of different products. By reducing traditional programming effort, GripperAI enables manufacturers to deploy automation more quickly and respond more easily to changing production demands without being tied to a single robot, gripper, or vision platform.