Staples teams up with local robotic packaging company

Framingham-based office supply retailer Staples is partnering with robotic packaging company RightHand Robotics of Charlestown in a multiyear agreement to bring robotic picking systems to Staples’ nationwide network of warehouses. The companies did not release financial details about the agreement. RightHand Robotics was founded in 2015 by researchers from Harvard, Yale, and MIT. The company builds robotic systems that can perform a task which until recently could only be done by humans — reaching into a bin full of merchandise to pick out the exact item a customer has ordered. RightHand uses machine vision and artificial intelligence to identify each item, grip it correctly so it isn’t damaged, then drop it into a box or bag for shipment. According to a statement announcing the deal, RightHand and Staples have collaborated on the design of the new warehouse system, with RightHand developing new features to increase the variety of items the robotic systems can handle. These enhancements will be made available to other RightHand clients. RightHand has customers in 15 countries, but the new alliance will make Staples its biggest customer in the United States.