
States Logistics in California was an early consumer of Contoro’s truck-unloading robotic.
Unloading trailers and containers is a labor-intensive activity that has been troublesome to automate, however quite a few firms have made progress. Contoro Robotics at present stated it has raised $12 million in Sequence A funding to scale its synthetic intelligence-powered robots.
“Unloading trailers is among the most bodily demanding jobs within the warehouse, but it stays largely handbook,” said Dr. Youngmok “Mok” Yun, founder and CEO of Contoro Robotics. “We’re bringing AI-powered automation that enhances reliability, security, and effectivity—permitting warehouse groups to shift from hazardous, repetitive duties to extra strategic and value-added roles.”
Yun studied human-machine interplay (HMI) on the College of Texas at Austin. After getting his Ph.D., Yun co-founded Harmonic Bionics Inc., which commercialized a system to assist sufferers relearn duties after a stroke.
“Our unique analysis was funded by NASA and the NSF. Contoro is a by-product from Harmonic Bionics,” he instructed The Robotic Report. “At Harmonic Bionics, we used automation to assist individuals be taught. This time, we’re utilizing the human-robot interface in reverse. We’ve additionally offered teleoperation know-how to robotics firms resembling Sanctuary AI.”
Based in 2022, Contoro Robotics makes use of a human-in-the-loop (HITL) mannequin to shut the hole between AI robotics efficiency and industrial wants, Yun defined. The Austin, Texas-based firm stated this method can obtain over 99% success in real-world purposes, growing the business viability of robotic unloading of floor-loaded delivery containers.
“Unloading containers has many issues — parcels, pallets, and even furnishings — however we’re primarily targeted on unloading bins from ocean containers,” stated Yun. “The U.S. imports about 26 million every year, they usually’re at present unloaded by hand.”
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Contoro makes use of customized AI and grippers
“For years, automation has struggled to unload multi-SKU, floor-loaded trailers,” famous Contoro Robotics. “It’s an unpredictable course of crammed with different-sized bins, shifting hundreds, and ever-changing packaging.”
The corporate stated it has developed customer-specific AI fashions, progressive greedy methods, and HITL oversight. Contoro initially educated its robots with teleoperation, however its AI can now be taught by itself, with human intervention just for exception dealing with. One individual can oversee greater than 10 robots, Yun stated.
“Our robotic can unload 97% to 98% within the first week, as a result of field designs change, difficult the AI,” he stated. “With a human within the loop, it could then deal with 99.5% after per week. Now we have a number of layers to make human intervention simple as wanted, with AI, distant help, then buyer intervention.”
Yun famous that Contoro’s HITL method is much like that of Plus One Robotics Inc., which can also be in Austin.

Contoro used teleoperation to initially prepare its unloading robots. Supply: Contoro
As well as, Contoro created Duo-Grasp, a proprietary two-point gripping system, to securely deal with a wider vary of field sizes and weights than competing finish effectors.
“Our gripper is articulated and may grasp from two sides with suction cups,” stated Yun. “It will probably carry as much as 80 lb. [36.2 kg] bins for one of many largest furnishings firms within the U.S.”
“Proper now, we’re utilizing a KUKA industrial robotic arm, which is already dependable and inexpensive,” he added. “Different firms use collaborative robots or their very own arms. Now we have eight cameras on the bottom, elbow, finish effector, and the top of the conveyors. We made the cellular base ourselves, due to the particular necessities for climbing ramps, which aren’t degree like warehouse flooring.”
Contoro claimed that its applied sciences allow extremely dependable unloading, even in unpredictable freight logistics environments which can be usually difficult for robots. Its system can decide greater than 300 to 350 circumstances per hour.
“We usually exceed that at buyer websites, and we are able to do multi-picking of smaller and lighter bins,” stated Yun. “Whereas a human can usually decide 500 to 700 objects per hour, we are able to reliably unload heavy bins consistently with out ergonomic pressure due to our human within the loop. Corporations don’t need to drop home equipment or meals.”
Sequence A attracts further traders

Contoro has mixed its AI with a customized gripper, a cellular base, and a KUKA arm. Supply: Contoro Robotics
Because the warehousing and logistics trade faces ongoing labor shortages and rising prices, traders are searching for scalable, commercially viable approaches to robotics.
New traders Doosan, Coupang, the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, and IMM participated in Contoro Robotics’ Sequence A spherical. They joined current backers SV Funding, KB Funding, Kakao Ventures, and Future Play, bringing Contoro’s complete funding to $22 million.
“Trailer unloading is among the most labor-intensive and handbook processes within the warehouse,” stated Franziska Bossart, head of the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund. “We consider Contoro is making significant progress to deal with this problem with its distinctive finish effector and teleop-augmented AI.”
Different firms engaged on loading and unloading robots embrace Anyware Robotics (which additionally raised $12 million final week), Boston Dynamics, Dexterity, Lab0, Pickle Robotic, and Slip Robotics. They and Contoro confirmed their completely different approaches at ProMat in Chicago final week.
Robotic unloading to unfold
Contoro Robotics stated that early deployments have already doubled unloading pace, decreased dependency on handbook labor, and saved lots of of labor hours per 30 days for purchasers dealing with rising prices and operational bottlenecks. Its preliminary robots are in Texas and Southern California, with extra coming to New Jersey and different places quickly.
The corporate added that its pay-per-container pricing mannequin, a variation on robotics as a service (RaaS), removes the barrier of upfront capital prices and makes automation a gorgeous different to conventional lumping providers.
“Our enterprise mannequin is exclusive, and we need to make adoption simple,” Yun stated. “For instance, one buyer is a calendar firm that has large seasonality, so we are able to take the robots again exterior of Q3 and This autumn.”
Contoro plans to fabricate extra robots, with remaining meeting in Austin. It additionally plans to broaden into new logistics markets and launch its next-generation AI-driven palletizing system.
The corporate asserted that its robots are already serving to warehouses, distribution facilities, and e-commerce achievement hubs reduce prices and improve throughput “with out the complications of conventional automation deployments.”
“We’re absolutely booked via the third quarter,” stated Yun. “I consider that the way forward for this market is nice, and we’re attacking a small subset of all the drawback.”