Best for
Startup operators, innovation teams, automation leads, R&D groups, and enterprise procurement planning a real robotics workflow with a clear success metric.
From robotics interest to a measurable pilot in 8 weeks
SVRC provides the hardware, data collection infrastructure, and engineering support to move your automation initiative from concept to a scoped pilot with defined KPIs — not another inconclusive demo.
What this page is: the shortest route for companies that want to validate a use case, compare hardware, and line up the next technical and operational steps toward a measurable pilot.
Main question
Which hardware, data path, and support model will get your team to a measurable pilot fastest — and what does success look like in week 8?
What to do next
Start with use-case fit, then choose hardware, plan data capture, integrate with SVRC Data Platform, and scope the rollout conversation.
Recommended next links: Industry Applications, Data Services, Data Platform, Buying Guide, and Contact.
Industry Verticals
Industries we serve
SVRC works with companies across five primary industry verticals. Each has distinct automation needs, regulatory requirements, and ROI profiles. The common thread is that all require high-quality manipulation data and a structured path from pilot to production.
Automotive and Tier 1 suppliers
Tasks: parts kitting, sub-assembly, quality inspection, bin picking. Pain point: labor shortages on 2nd/3rd shifts, inconsistent assembly quality, and high training costs for new hires. SVRC entry point: data collection for learned pick-and-place policies on your specific parts. A typical pilot uses OpenArm 101 or DK1 with Paxini Gen3 tactile sensing for force-sensitive insertion tasks.
Pharmaceutical and life sciences
Tasks: lab sample handling, vial capping, kit assembly, cleanroom manipulation. Pain point: contamination risk from human handling, batch consistency requirements, and FDA traceability. SVRC entry point: data collection in controlled environments with full logging for regulatory compliance. OpenArm 101 fits in laminar flow hoods and cleanroom benches.
Food and beverage
Tasks: product packing, tray loading, quality sorting, label application. Pain point: seasonal labor variability, food safety compliance, and high turnover. SVRC entry point: teleoperation-based data collection for learned policies that handle product variation (different sizes, orientations, deformable packaging). Pilots typically focus on a single SKU before expanding.
Electronics manufacturing
Tasks: PCB component placement, cable routing, connector insertion, device assembly. Pain point: precision requirements, small batch sizes that do not justify traditional automation, and complex multi-step sequences. SVRC entry point: bimanual teleoperation data collection with DK1 for two-handed assembly tasks. Paxini Gen3 tactile sensing for force-controlled insertion.
Logistics and warehousing
Tasks: order picking, package sorting, palletizing, inventory inspection. Pain point: labor cost, throughput targets during peak seasons, and high object diversity. SVRC entry point: data collection for learned grasping policies across diverse objects. Unitree Go2 quadruped for mobile inspection and inventory tasks. Integration with existing WMS via SVRC Data Platform APIs.
Why Automate
Pain points that drive automation decisions
Labor cost and availability
Average manufacturing labor cost in the US is $28-$42/hour fully loaded. A single-shift manual station costs $60K-$90K/year in labor alone. Robotics pilots that demonstrate 80%+ task success rates on target tasks typically reach ROI within 12-18 months when labor savings are the primary driver.
Consistency and quality
Human operators produce 2-5% defect rates on repetitive tasks. Learned robot policies, once validated, produce consistent output within defined parameters every cycle. For industries where inconsistency means product recalls (pharma, automotive), the consistency premium alone justifies the pilot investment.
Scaling without linear headcount
Adding a second shift doubles your labor cost. Adding a second robot doubles your throughput at the cost of hardware + maintenance (~20% of the labor cost). The economics improve further at 3+ shifts because robots operate 24/7 with only scheduled maintenance windows.
Compliance and traceability
Robot systems log every action, force, and sensor reading. This creates a complete audit trail that manual operations cannot match. For FDA, ISO, and automotive quality standards (IATF 16949), robotic data collection provides the documentation your compliance team needs automatically.
Pilot Design
How to structure a robotics pilot
Most robotics pilots fail not because the hardware does not work, but because the success criteria are undefined, the data collection plan is an afterthought, or the team confuses a demo with a deployable workflow. A well-structured pilot answers three questions before the hardware arrives: what task are we automating, how will we measure improvement, and what does the data collection protocol look like?
1. Define the task precisely
Write a one-paragraph task specification: the object, the workspace, the success condition, and the failure mode. Vague task specs lead to misaligned hardware selection and uninterpretable training data. Example: "Pick a 200g plastic bottle from a structured bin (3x4 grid) and place it upright on a conveyor belt within a 400mm x 300mm target zone. Success: bottle upright and within zone. Failure: drop, tip, or placement outside zone."
2. Set measurable KPIs before you collect data
Define at least two metrics before the pilot starts: a task success rate (e.g., 85% pick success in 50 consecutive trials) and a throughput target (e.g., 30 picks per hour). Without pre-set KPIs, pilots run indefinitely and stakeholders lose confidence. SVRC helps you define realistic KPIs based on our experience with similar tasks.
3. Design the data collection protocol
Specify the demonstration count, operator training, camera placement, lighting conditions, and object variation before you start. Policy quality is a direct function of data quality decisions made before the first demonstration. SVRC Data Services can design and execute the entire collection protocol for you.
4. Plan the evaluation loop
Define a weekly review cycle: collect demonstrations, train a policy checkpoint, evaluate on held-out trials, and log failure modes. The SVRC Data Platform supports episode replay and failure annotation for this loop. Typical pilots require 4-6 weekly cycles before policy performance stabilizes.
ROI Framework
How to build the business case
Robotics ROI at the pilot stage is rarely about direct labor replacement. The more defensible frame combines labor savings, quality improvement, and throughput gains. Here is a practical framework:
Labor cost savings
Formula: (Annual labor cost per station) x (Number of stations automated) x (Success rate). Example: a station costing $75K/year in loaded labor, automated at 85% success rate = $63,750/year in savings. For a $50K pilot investment, payback is under 12 months on labor savings alone. Factor in 2nd/3rd shift coverage for stronger ROI.
Quality improvement value
Formula: (Defect rate reduction) x (Cost per defect). If human defect rate is 3% and robot defect rate is 0.5%, and each defect costs $50 in rework, that is $2.50 saved per unit. At 10,000 units/month, quality improvement is worth $25,000/month or $300K/year. For regulated industries, avoided recalls can be worth millions.
Throughput gain
Formula: (Additional units per hour) x (Margin per unit) x (Operating hours). Robots do not take breaks, lose focus, or slow down during shift 8. A 20% throughput improvement on a line producing $50/unit at 100 units/hour adds $1,000/hour in revenue capacity. Not all of this is incremental, but the capacity creation is real.
Strategic value: data as an asset
The demonstration data you collect during a pilot has value beyond the first policy. It can be used for transfer learning to adjacent tasks, sim training for new product variants, and model benchmarking as your system scales. Companies that start collecting manipulation data now build a competitive advantage that compounds over time.
Compliance
Safety and compliance standards
Industrial robot deployments require compliance with safety and quality standards. SVRC hardware and integration practices align with the following frameworks:
ISO 10218: Industrial robot safety
SVRC provides risk assessment templates and safety documentation aligned with ISO 10218-1 (robot design) and ISO 10218-2 (robot integration). Our tabletop manipulators (OpenArm 101, DK1) operate below the force and speed thresholds that trigger Category 3 safety requirements. For larger deployments, we help design compliant safety zones and emergency stop systems.
CE marking (EU market)
SVRC hardware sold for EU deployment includes CE marking documentation and declarations of conformity. OpenArm 101 and DK1 comply with the EU Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) and Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU). Contact us for specific CE documentation for your target market.
OSHA alignment (US market)
SVRC provides workplace safety assessments and documentation for OSHA compliance. Our deployment guides include recommended safety zone dimensions, operator training requirements, and emergency procedures aligned with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.212 (machine guarding) and relevant ANSI/RIA standards.
Data handling and IP
All data collected during SVRC engagements is owned by the client. We sign standard NDAs before any engagement. Data is stored on client-approved infrastructure or SVRC's SOC 2-aligned cloud platform. For on-premises requirements, we deploy data collection systems that never leave your network. IP assignment is clearly defined in every engagement contract.
Case Studies
Pilot results from industry engagements
The following vignettes describe anonymized results from recent SVRC industry pilots. Contact us for detailed case studies under NDA.
Tier 1 automotive supplier — bin picking
Setup: 3 OpenArm 101 units with Paxini Gen3 tactile sensors. Task: pick metal fasteners from unstructured bins and place in assembly trays. Data: 800 teleoperation demonstrations over 2 weeks. Result: 89% pick success rate on 5 fastener types, 28 picks/hour throughput. Timeline: concept to validated pilot in 8 weeks. Client expanded to 6-robot production deployment.
Pharmaceutical company — lab sample handling
Setup: 1 DK1 bimanual system in cleanroom environment. Task: uncap sample vials, pipette transfer, recap and rack. Data: 500 demonstrations with dual-arm teleoperation. Result: 92% task completion rate, zero contamination events in 200 evaluation trials. Timeline: 10 weeks including cleanroom integration. Client proceeding to FDA validation study.
E-commerce fulfillment — order picking
Setup: 2 OpenArm 101 units with multi-camera setup. Task: pick items from structured shelving and place in shipping containers. Data: 1,200 demonstrations across 50 SKUs. Result: 84% first-attempt pick success, 35 picks/hour. Timeline: 6 weeks. Performance improved to 91% after additional 400 demonstrations targeting failure cases. Client testing at second facility.
Engagement
Enterprise engagement models
SVRC offers three tiers of industrial engagement, each designed for a different stage of your automation journey:
Pilot: $50K
Duration: 6-8 weeks. Includes: hardware selection and setup (1-2 robots), task definition and KPI design, data collection protocol, 200-500 demonstrations, policy training and evaluation, weekly progress reports, and final pilot report with go/no-go recommendation. Best for: teams evaluating automation feasibility for a specific task.
Campaign: $150K
Duration: 12-16 weeks. Includes: everything in Pilot plus: multi-task data collection, 1,000+ demonstrations, policy iteration across multiple checkpoint cycles, failure-targeted data collection, integration with your existing systems, and operator training for your team. Best for: teams committed to deployment who need production-quality data and proven policies.
Enterprise SLA: Custom
Duration: Ongoing. Includes: dedicated hardware fleet, continuous data collection and policy improvement, SVRC Data Platform enterprise license, quarterly business reviews, 24-hour engineering response SLA, on-site support as needed, and priority access to new hardware and capabilities. Best for: companies deploying robots at scale across multiple tasks or facilities.
Data & Platform
Data collection and platform integration
Data Services
SVRC operates teleoperation data collection using your hardware or ours: operator training, data format standardization, quality review, and delivery in standard formats (HDF5, LeRobot, RLDS). Starting at $2,500 for a pilot dataset, $8,000 for a full campaign.
Explore data services →Data Platform ($249/mo Startup)
Episode replay, failure annotation, dataset management, and training job tracking. The Data Platform supports the iterative collection-train-evaluate loop that makes robot learning practical at pilot scale. Enterprise pricing available for larger deployments.
View data platform →Developer Wiki — SDK integration
When your engineering team needs to integrate the SVRC SDK with your existing data pipeline, the Developer Wiki provides API reference, SDK quickstart, and hardware-specific integration guides. Custom integration support available for enterprise customers.
Open Developer Wiki →
Industry FAQ
10 questions industry teams ask most
1. How long does a typical pilot take?
6-8 weeks from kickoff to final evaluation report. This includes 1-2 weeks for setup and task definition, 2-3 weeks for data collection, and 2-3 weeks for policy training and evaluation. Campaigns with multiple tasks take 12-16 weeks.
2. What is the minimum investment to start?
A $50K pilot engagement includes hardware, data collection, policy training, and evaluation. For teams that want to evaluate hardware first, you can lease a single robot starting at $800/mo and use SVRC Data Services at $2,500 for a pilot dataset. See the buying guide for hardware-only pricing.
3. Who owns the data and trained models?
You do. All data collected during an SVRC engagement belongs to the client. Trained model weights are delivered to the client. SVRC retains no copies unless explicitly agreed for ongoing improvement purposes. IP assignment is clearly defined in the engagement contract.
4. Can you work with our existing robots?
Yes. SVRC Data Services can integrate with most ROS2-compatible platforms. We have experience with UR, Franka, Kinova, Flexiv, and all SVRC-sold hardware. If your robot has a ROS2 driver, we can likely integrate it. For proprietary platforms, contact us to discuss feasibility.
5. What success rates should we expect?
It depends on task complexity. Simple pick-and-place with limited object variation: 85-95% with 200-500 demonstrations. Multi-step assembly or contact-rich tasks: 70-85% with 500-1,000+ demonstrations. These improve with additional targeted data collection. We set realistic KPIs at the start and track progress weekly.
6. How do you handle data security?
We sign NDAs before every engagement. Data is stored on your infrastructure or our SOC 2-aligned cloud platform. On-premises data collection deployments are available where data never leaves your network. We comply with GDPR, CCPA, and industry-specific requirements as needed.
7. Do we need to hire robotics engineers?
Not immediately. SVRC handles the technical execution during pilot and campaign engagements. As you scale to production, we provide training and knowledge transfer so your team can operate independently. Many clients hire their first robotics engineer after a successful pilot, using SVRC documentation and Academy as the onboarding path.
8. Can we try before we commit to a pilot?
Yes. We offer free in-person demos at our Mountain View and Allston facilities, and remote video demos. You can also lease hardware for 1-3 months to evaluate fit before committing to a full pilot engagement. Schedule a demo.
9. What is the path from pilot to production?
Pilot (validate feasibility) then Campaign (production-quality data and policies) then Deployment (hardware fleet, operator training, monitoring). SVRC supports all three stages. The pilot report includes a go/no-go recommendation with specific criteria for advancing to the campaign stage. Most clients that reach 80%+ success in the pilot stage proceed to campaign.
10. How does SVRC compare to traditional system integrators?
Traditional system integrators program robots for fixed tasks — if the product or process changes, you reprogram. SVRC builds learned behaviors that adapt through data. When a new product variant appears, you collect 50-100 new demonstrations instead of rewriting motion primitives. This makes SVRC the right choice for tasks with product variability, small batch sizes, or frequent changeovers. For high-volume, single-product lines where the task never changes, traditional integration may still be the better fit.