Mantis Robotics Debuts the MR-X, a Fenceless Dual-Arm Robot Built to Run at Full Industrial Speed Next to People
Mantis Robotics unveiled the MR-X, a biomimetic dual-arm robot that lifts 70 lbs and moves at 10.6 m/s without safety cages, relying on its SafetyCore reflex system to work near people.
Overview
Mantis Robotics has introduced the MR-X, a biomimetic dual-arm robot designed to operate without the safety fences or cages that surround most industrial machines. According to The Robot Report, the MR-X can lift up to 70 lb. (31.7 kg) and move at speeds of up to 10.6 m/s within a compact footprint, and the Pleasanton, California company showed it at the Automate trade show. The launch pushes the emerging category of fenceless, human-adjacent automation beyond the single-arm form factor Mantis started with.
What We Know
The core of the machine is a system Mantis calls SafetyCore. The Robot Report describes it as a “reflex system” that gives the robot “full, continuous awareness of its surroundings” and that “processes the environment in real time and reacts autonomously when a person enters the robot’s path, without interrupting operations.” That approach is meant to replace the external sensors and rigid keep-out zones conventional installations depend on, allowing the robot to keep running at speed even as workers move nearby.
Mantis positions the MR-X against both collaborative robots and humanoids. “Don’t mistake this for another humanoid robot. It’s a first-in-class dual-arm robot that outperforms both cobots and humanoids, in terms of both speed and safety,” said Gerry Vannuffelen, CEO of Mantis Robotics, in the company’s announcement. The company says the robot is aimed at tasks that require both strength and dexterity, including assembly, material transfer, and package sorting, per The Robot Report.
The MR-X builds on the company’s first robot, the MR-1. That earlier single-arm machine is certified to the ISO 10218 and ISO 13849 standards and has demonstrated proven, certified fenceless operation with backing from Amazon, according to The Robot Report. In its announcement, Mantis said the MR-1 runs “6x faster than any cobot,” framing speed as the payoff of its safety architecture, per PR Newswire.
Vannuffelen tied the new robot to a broader deployment goal. “MR-X takes that further, demonstrating that fenceless robotics is a reality regardless of form factor,” he said, according to The Robot Report. In the company’s announcement he added: “We are not just building robots. We are building the technology that unlocks mass deployment in the real world.”
What We Don’t Know
Mantis has not disclosed pricing, availability, or which customers will deploy the MR-X first. It is also unclear whether the dual-arm MR-X carries the same ISO 10218 and ISO 13849 certifications the MR-1 holds, or whether that certification work is still in progress. The company has not released independent, third-party performance or safety data for the new robot beyond its own demonstrations.
Analysis
The pitch behind the MR-X reflects a wider shift in industrial robotics away from the trade-off that has defined the field for decades: traditional industrial arms are fast but must be caged, while collaborative robots are safe to work beside but slow. Mantis is betting that a reflex-based safety layer can collapse that distinction, letting a fast dual-arm machine share floor space with people. Whether the MR-X earns the same formal safety certifications as its predecessor, and at what cost, will determine how quickly that bet translates into deployments on real production and logistics lines.