Building a complex system designed to scale to any workshop.
About the Client
Rapid Robotics is a San Francisco–based robotics company developing affordable automation solutions for small to medium-sized manufacturers. Their Industrial Robot Machine Operator (IRMO) is designed to handle repetitive manufacturing tasks—making robotics accessible to businesses that traditionally couldn’t afford or maintain automation.
Project Brief
The goal was to design a mobile, all-in-one robotic system that could be quickly deployed across different factory setups. It needed to feel approachable for smaller manufacturers, be cost-effective to build, and meet strict safety and precision standards required for robotic automation.
Key Challenges
Defining the system before the details. The biggest challenge wasn’t designing the pedestal itself—it was figuring out the larger architecture of the system first. Understanding how each component—robot arm, sensors, pedestal, and work surfaces—would interact was crucial before refining the industrial design.
Balancing safety and precision. Moving robots inside manufacturing facilities must meet strict safety regulations, while maintaining millimeter-level precision for tasks like pick-and-place or ultrasonic welding.
Unpacking the real priorities. The design team had to strip the problem down to what truly mattered—mobility, stability, and repeatable precision—without overcomplicating the solution.
Process
System Architecture First Mapped the bigger system before designing details—ensuring motion paths, safety zones, and precision requirements were fully understood.
Mobility & Setup Focused on making the unit deployable by one person in under a minute.
Modular Testing Prototyped pedestal and work-surface components to validate integration and stability.
Visual Refinement Developed a bold yet approachable industrial look—robust enough for factory floors but not intimidating.
Solution
Quick to Deploy, Built for Flexibility A mobile robotic workstation that can be reconfigured across tasks and moved by a single operator in under a minute.
Stable and Precise A pedestal with retractable legs and configurable tabletops ensures repeatable precision and reliable performance in factory settings.
Industrial, But Approachable A bold visual language communicates durability while standing out on busy factory floors.
Recognized Internationally Awarded Red Dot, Core77, Australian Good Design, and more.
Have a complex product to bring to life?
I help teams unpack tough design problems and turn them into products that work—thoughtfully, and with production in mind from the start.
