Reach Robotics

Reach Robotics is an Australian company focused on developing and manufacturing advanced robotic manipulator arms for harsh environments. The company's core mission is to extend human reach into dangerous or inaccessible locations, primarily underwater. They serve a global client base across diverse sectors including defense, offshore energy, ocean science, and commercial diving.

The business operates by designing and selling a range of high-performance, electric manipulator arms and related accessories. These products are designed to be integrated with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and other unmanned platforms, enhancing their capabilities for complex tasks. Their clients are typically organizations that require remote inspection, maintenance, and intervention, such as performing non-destructive testing, managing debris, or conducting search and rescue operations.

The company's product line includes the Reach X, Bravo, and Alpha series of manipulators. The Reach X is designed for critical missions, enabling operators to cut, grab, and recover objects using portable ROVs. The Reach Bravo is a more rugged system intended for inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR), while the Reach Alpha is a lightweight solution for intervention in confined spaces. These systems are differentiated by their dexterity, compact size, and strength-to-weight ratio. The company also offers vision systems and various control options to complement its manipulators.

Reach Robotics was founded in Australia by university friends Paul Phillips and Mark Sproule. Phillips, with a background in mechatronics and biomedical engineering, began developing the initial actuator technology while traveling. The duo started the company, formerly known as Blueprint Lab, in 2016 from a desk at a makerspace, driven by a passion to create technology that did not yet exist. Key milestones include releasing their first underwater actuator in 2017, launching the Reach Alpha in 2018, securing government and investor funding in 2019, and releasing the larger Reach Bravo in 2020. The company rebranded from Blueprint Lab to Reach Robotics in 2022 to better reflect its vision.

It is important to note that a separate UK-based consumer robotics company, also named Reach Robotics and founded by Silas Adekunle, ceased operations in 2019. That company was known for its MekaMon augmented reality gaming robots and shut down due to challenges in the consumer robotics market. The Australian company, Reach Robotics (formerly Blueprint Lab), continues to operate and grow, focusing on the industrial and defense subsea robotics sector.

Keywords: robotic manipulators, subsea robotics, underwater intervention, remotely operated vehicles, ROV arms, harsh environments, offshore energy, defense robotics, ocean science technology, marine robotics, remote inspection, non-destructive testing, unmanned platforms, electric manipulators, Blueprint Lab, subsea inspection, IMR, special recovery, autonomous systems, underwater actuators, robotic arms, deep sea technology, maritime infrastructure