Flexiv Robotics Celebrates Successful Collaboration with BlackBerry QNX at Automate 2024

09 May 2024

SAN JOSE, CA, May 9th, 2024 – Flexiv, a global leader in general-purpose robotics solutions, is proud to announce the success of its recent collaboration with BlackBerry QNX, a business unit of BlackBerry Limited, at this year's Automate event in Chicago.

On display at the QNX booth (#3886), Flexiv’s Rizon 4 robotic arm highlighted its adaptability and compatibility by being operated via the Haply Inverse 3 Haptic Controller and managed by the advanced QNX® foundational software.

Flexiv's Rizon 4 Robot Arm on Display at the Blackberry QNX Booth

The robotic arm demonstration is powered by the QNX® real-time operating system (RTOS), which is designed for precision and performance optimization in industrial and surgical robotic environments. Thanks to the QNX RTOS enabling high performance and real-time deterministic behavior, robotic systems can react immediately to commands without delays or disruptions.

When coupled with Flexiv's embedded whole-body force control, which delivers precise force data at a 1,000 Hz update frequency, industry-leading levels of robot motion control are achieved, providing an instantaneous response rate as attendees interact with the live demonstration. This capability is particularly critical in delicate manipulation tasks, where split-second decisions can make the difference between success and failure.

Howard Huang, Flexiv's North American Business Director, commented on the strategic impact of the exhibition:

Flexiv's partnership with QNX and the integration of the QNX software have been instrumental in demonstrating the interoperability of our robots. We’re delighted that QNX chose the Flexiv Rizon 4 to showcase at global trade shows, including this week’s Automate and the upcoming ICRA expo in Japan, and I’m excited about the expanded visibility and the potential new applications we will see developed. Our joint solution is just the beginning of a long-term partnership that will help shape the future of robotics.

Howard Huang, Flexiv's North American Business Director,

Grant Courville, Vice President, Product & Strategy, at BlackBerry QNX, added:

Flexiv's Rizon 4 is an innovative platform that leverages the performance capabilities of the QNX RTOS. Our robot demo was a huge hit at Embedded World in Germany and the Boston Robotic Summit as it provided an experiential approach to showcasing the benefits of hard real-time deterministic software. The integration of Flexiv's Robot Development Kit on QNX cannot be overlooked – it is impressively simple to build a robotic routine and there was a lot of interest from system integrators and robotic software engineers at the event.

Grant Courville, Vice President, Product & Strategy, at BlackBerry QNX

Courville continued:

The consistent responsiveness and feedback control loop from the robot were key to demonstrating the critical role of our hard real-time software coupled with the robust hardware and software application design of the Rizon 4. The results were really impressive.

Grant Courville, Vice President, Product & Strategy, at BlackBerry QNX

At the Automate event, Flexiv Robotics also collaborated with Keyence, a global leader in factory automation and quality inspection equipment to show how adaptive robotics and precise sensors are shaping the future of factory automation, while also demonstrating the synergy between Flexiv’s and Keyence’s solutions.

Keyence at Automate 2024 with the Flexiv Rizon 4

To find out more about North America's largest robotics and automation event, please visit: https://www.automateshow.com/.

About Flexiv

Flexiv is a world-leading general-purpose robotics company dedicated to developing and manufacturing adaptive robots. With expertise in integrating industrial-grade force control, computer vision, and AI technologies, Flexiv delivers advanced turn-key automation solutions that enhance efficiency while reducing operational costs and environmental impact. Founded in 2016, Flexiv has established offices in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, and Singapore. For more information, please visit: https://www.flexiv.com/.

About BlackBerry QNX

BlackBerry® QNX® is a trusted supplier of commercial operating systems, hypervisors, development tools, support and services, all purpose-built for the world’s most critical embedded systems. BlackBerry QNX helps customers streamline their development efforts to more efficiently launch safe, secure and reliable systems. Our technology is trusted in more than 235 million vehicles and is deployed in embedded systems around the world across a range of industries including aerospace and defense, automotive, commercial vehicles, heavy machinery, industrial controls, medical, rail and robotics. Founded in 1980, BlackBerry QNX is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada and was acquired by BlackBerry in 2010.