India Firm Launches Diamond-Cutting Robot

RAPAPORT… An Indian company claims to have developed the world’s first diamond-cutting robot powered by artificial intelligence (AI).



The machine, called Robomatic, takes care of positioning the diamond for cutting — a job that is currently a manual one despite the large degree of automation in the industry, according to the device’s creator, STPL.



While someone still has to load the rough diamonds into the machine, Robomatic picks each one up, determines precisely where to place it for optimal cutting, puts it in position and cuts it. Afterward, it removes the stone and drops it in a box for retrieval.



By doing so, the device removes human error from the process, STPL asserted last week.



Robomatic uses entirely Indian technology, added the company, which launched the product at its Robomation event in Surat earlier this month.



“Automation in diamond processing is the inevitable need of today,” stated STPL CEO Rahul Gaywala, expressing confidence that the “AI-powered robot will help the whole diamond industry take a quantum leap in terms of accuracy, speed and profitability.”



Chairman Dhirajlal Kotadiya (pictured) said the company was proud to have “developed the diamond world’s first robot, with a fully indigenously developed technology.”



STPL, which has its office and factory in Surat, came into existence in 1993. It made the Confederation of Indian Industry’s list of top innovative companies this year, becoming the first in the diamond sector to receive the award, according to the company.