A panel of judges from Hexagon 's leadership team selected startup Flexxbotics as the winner for its technology that enables the digitization of work cells for 'robotic manufacturing'. Zaptic was recognized for a platform that connects manufacturing workers, digitizes operations and accelerates operational excellence. Acerta Analytics was honored with second place.

The winners will have access to Hexagon's extensive resources for their global expansion - including funding and use of global office space and the company's suite of products and services. They will also be featured on Hexagon's cloud-based digital reality platform for manufacturing, Nexus, giving them the opportunity to connect with leading companies and leverage their systems and data to solve bigger challenges.
"We are thrilled to announce Flexxbotics and Zaptic as winners of Hexagon's third Sixth Sense competition, as both companies are addressing key challenges in automation and productivity while advancing the digitalization of the manufacturing industry," said Josh Weiss, President of Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence Division. "Sixth Sense was created to discover emerging innovations. We've been able to create a platform that gives high-growth startups like Flexxbotics and Zaptic access to resources and customers that are normally out of reach at this stage of development."

"Sixth Sense with Hexagon was a tremendously valuable experience and we are thrilled to have been selected as a winner of the Industry 4.0 manufacturing robotics software program," said Tyler Bouchard, co-founder and CEO of Flexxbotics. "We believe that robotic fleets in the smart factory will perform lights-out manufacturing operations and that integrated inspection will be the critical 'eyes and ears' of autonomous manufacturing."

Sandy Reid, co-founder and CCO at Zaptic, explains: "As knowledge and skills gaps widen, manufacturers desperately need a more efficient way to secure and grow the skills of their workforce. Partnering with Hexagon allows us to address this need at scale with Zaptic's AI-driven connected workforce solution, which integrates with Hexagon's products and services to provide end users with guided machine operation, troubleshooting and maintenance."

Hexagon is a global provider of 'digital reality' solutions realized through the combination of sensor, software and autonomous technologies. The company uses data to improve the efficiency, productivity, quality and safety of applications in industry and manufacturing, as well as in infrastructure, mobility and the public sector. Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence Division uses data from design and engineering, manufacturing and metrology as the basis for innovative solutions to optimize manufacturing processes. The company employs around 24,500 people in 50 countries and generates net sales of approximately EUR 5.4 billion.