GrayMatter Robotics has been awarded a Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Department of the Air Force, to develop an advanced robotic system designed to correct optical distortions and defects in transparent materials such as acrylic and polycarbonate.
The project will expand upon the company’s existing technology, which detects and corrects visual distortions to ensure uniform clarity in transparent aerospace structures. These components, used in aircraft manufacturing, present technical challenges due to their complex geometries and stringent quality requirements for precision, visibility, and surface finish.
According to GrayMatter Robotics co-founder and chief executive officer Ariyan Kabir, the sanding and polishing of transparent components remain among the most time-consuming processes in aerospace manufacturing and are a primary source of rework-related defects. The company intends to adapt its current artificial intelligence-driven robotic finishing technology to automate these procedures and improve manufacturing consistency.
GrayMatter Robotics’ technology, branded GMR-AI™, uses physics-based modeling to enable robotic systems to understand material behavior, geometry, and tool dynamics without manual programming. Chief technology officer and co-founder Brual Shah said the system is designed to provide autonomous operation across a variety of manufacturing applications, including aerospace, automotive, marine, and heavy equipment production.
Chief scientist and co-founder Satyandra K. Gupta stated that the company’s systems are capable of scanning parts and automatically generating programs to perform surface finishing tasks, reducing setup times and accommodating variations between components.
Based in Carson, California, GrayMatter Robotics recently opened a 100,000-square-foot headquarters that will serve as a center for engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics integration, and workforce training. The facility is expected to support more than 100 technical positions and host technology demonstrations and development programs.
