Automate 2026 was an incredible week for Thoro. Over the course of the show, we launched three new robots with Big Joe Forklifts, each one a proof point for what happens when an OEM and an autonomy company actually build together.

Two robots, one platform

Automate opened with a Bang, with Thoro & Big Joe Autonomous Solutions unveiling two new products: the AP44 autonomous pallet jack and the ATC100 autonomous tugger. Both run on Thoro's autonomy platform and are powered by CoreFlex, the ultra-low cost hardware stack we developed alongside Orbbec, Hesai Technology, and Carnegie Robotics.

That kind of speed doesn't happen by accident. Big Joe brought its vision for approachable automation, deep industry relationships, and a long legacy of innovation. Thoro brought the autonomy platform, fleet navigation, and AI model-building capabilities. Together, we compressed a development timeline that normally takes years into something that shipped in months.

That's the model we're building toward with our OEM partners: moving with them, not around them.

A third robot, built for a much harder problem

We also added a third robot to the lineup, this one built with both Big Joe and JTec Industries: an autonomous server mover designed specifically for data center environments.

Data centers are an unforgiving workflow. The loads are valuable, the spaces are tight, and there's very little room for error. Solving it took all three partners working from their own strengths. JTec brought deep knowledge of the server-moving process and built specialized tooling around it. Thoro's autonomy stack enabled safe, precise movement in constrained data center spaces. Big Joe's durable, versatile base platform provided the foundation underneath it all.

The result isn't a generic AMR with a new attachment. It's a purpose-built machine, complete with its own workflow UI and a data-center-specific cloud solution behind it.

The software making autonomous pickup possible

Behind the AP44's launch is a feature we're especially proud of: fully autonomous pallet pickup and drop-off. It's a small phrase for a genuinely hard problem, and solving it changes how operators can work.

Traditionally, every pallet pick or place means a worker stops to manually position the load. Removing that touchpoint lets operators stay in flow while the robot handles the positioning itself. But doing that reliably in a live, dynamic warehouse requires the robot to understand its surroundings with real precision, not just where it is, but what's around it.

That's the idea at the core of Physical AI, and it's what we've built into every Thoro-powered unit. The AP44 runs our latest pallet detection model, built in-house and trained on the variability of real customer warehouses, so it can identify pallet openings in real time and complete pickup and drop-off without human guidance. Alongside it, person detection and ground plane analysis give the robot richer situational awareness, not just where to go, but what it's sharing the space with.

Why Pittsburgh made this possible

None of this happened in a vacuum, and it didn't happen at Thoro alone. A lot of what we showed at Automate was tested, refined, and proven in Southwestern Pennsylvania first, and we want to name the people who made that possible.

RIDC has been one of our longest-standing partners, giving Thoro test space on their sites and backing Southwestern Pennsylvania companies more broadly. Alex and Louis Tumminello at CXL Warehouse opened up their facility for critical real-world testing and shared their expertise on what 3PL operations actually need. Gregory Lang and Brian Leap at Sheetz gave us access to their distribution center for meaningful field testing that directly shaped the technology we brought to the show. And representing Pittsburgh's robotics and autonomy ecosystem on a national stage, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and Jackie Erickson helped make sure our region's work was visible at an event of this scale.

Pittsburgh as a city is a competitive advantage for us, and it's because of partners like these. New technology only earns trust once it's been tested in real conditions with real operators, and we're fortunate to have a region full of people willing to do that work alongside us.

Looking ahead

Three robots in one week is a milestone, but the bigger story is the model behind them: an OEM partner willing to move fast, a robotics ecosystem willing to test in the real world, and an autonomy platform built to flex across workflows instead of forcing every customer into the same box. Congratulations again to the entire Big Joe Autonomous Solutions team. We're proud of what we built together at Automate, and even more excited for what's next.