THINKER

THINKER Inc., an Osaka University-born startup established in August 2022, is commercializing a novel robotic sensor technology. The company was co-founded by CEO Hiromichi Fujimoto and Kosuke Koyama, an assistant professor at Osaka University's Graduate School of Engineering Science. Fujimoto, a serial entrepreneur, had been following Koyama's research for about a decade before establishing THINKER, leveraging his management experience to bring the technology to market. The core of THINKER's business revolves around its proprietary "proximity sensor," a technology developed by Koyama over ten years of research.

The firm develops, manufactures, and sells soft-touch robots and related sensor solutions. Its primary product, the "TK-01" proximity sensor, utilizes a unique sensing technology that combines infrared and a proprietary edge AI to measure the distance and posture to an object simultaneously without physical contact. This enables robotic hands to perceive the shape and position of objects, including those in blind spots or challenging materials like mirrors and transparent substances, which are difficult for conventional camera systems. This technology aims to make robotic manipulation faster and more reliable, especially for tasks that traditional sensors struggle with, such as handling misaligned items, non-uniform objects like food, or bin-picked small parts.

THINKER's business model is centered on selling these advanced sensors and offering solutions that incorporate them. The company targets industries that have historically relied on manual labor, such as food processing, logistics, and manufacturing, providing a pathway to automation. Their products include the "Think Hand F," a robotic hand combining the proximity sensor with a flexible mechanism for camera-less bin picking, and the "Thinker Model A," a complete collaborative robot package designed for flexible picking tasks. By reducing the effort needed for robot teaching and handling a wider variety of objects, the company helps clients lower costs and improve efficiency. Having already provided products to overseas universities, THINKER plans to focus on the Japanese market for the next few years before expanding internationally around 2025.

Keywords: proximity sensor, robotic hand, automation, manufacturing, logistics, food processing, bin picking, collaborative robots, sensor technology, edge AI, robotics, Osaka University startup, Hiromichi Fujimoto, Kosuke Koyama, TK-01 sensor, Think Hand F, robotics solutions, industrial automation, non-contact sensing, machine vision