Dexai Robotics, with origins at Draper, Wins MassTLC’s Award for Technology of the Year for Robotics

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Dexai Robotics, the latest company spin-out of nonprofit engineering innovation firm Draper, earned the top spot in its field when its collaborative robot Alfred was named Technology of the Year for Robotics by the Mass Technology Leadership Council. Dexai Robotics is a leading provider of intelligent robotics solutions for commercial kitchens.

The MassTLC Tech Top 50 recognizes the region’s tech companies, leaders and technologies that have made a significant impact over the past year. Honorees in the robotics category were Boston Dynamics, Locus Robotics and Realtime Robotics, according to MassTLC’s website.

Dexai Robotics was spun out of Draper in 2018 with the goal to build customized robots for commercial kitchens and restaurants. Since then, Dexai has worked with customers including  military bases and corporate cafeterias, and has raised venture funding totaling $12 million.

“We started Dexai to make it easier for chefs to prepare meals for hundreds of people. While robots are just starting to become part of our everyday lives, we believe that they will transform our workplaces and enable people to focus on creativity and hospitality,” Dexai CEO David Johnson said. “We’re grateful that MassTLC has recognized both our mission and the great work that our team is doing to achieve it.”

Dexai originated at Draper in its Autonomy, Guidance, Navigation and Control Division, where the Cambridge-based company designs, develops, integrates, and tests autonomous systems for complex domains that include underwater, terrestrial, aerial and space. “An important consideration in the development process is making it easier for humans to trust robots,” said Camila Francolin, who leads the division.

“Draper’s design principles consider human-machine interaction, enabling the development of operator-trusted technology whatever the environment,” Francolin said. “Dexai’s innovative use of artificial intelligence, computer vision and model predictive control is a powerful demonstration of what it takes to make a collaborative robot or ‘cobot’ that can work alongside humans.”

Dexai Robotics

Dexai automates activities in commercial kitchens and anywhere food is prepared, using flexible robot arms. Dexai currently offers Alfred, a collaborative robot arm that uses utensils to scoop and pick ingredients, exceeding human capabilities in speed and precision. Alfred is a plug-and-play solution for quick service restaurants, and can be used to prepare salads, bowls, etc. without any alteration to a restaurant’s layout or recipes. Visit dexai.com to learn more about Alfred or join Dexai’s growing team.