LAS VEGAS — Instead of unloading boxes, cases, or pallets from a trailer, the Slip system from Slip Robotics slides out an entire load at once. At Manifest this week, the company unveiled SlipLift, a new platform that decouples the mobile robot from the platform for greater agility and utilization rates.
Slip Robotics said it designed SlipLift to extend autonomous trailer loading and unloading beyond short-haul, high-frequency routes to heavier freight, regional distribution, and last-mile delivery applications.
“We’ve always focused on removing uncertainty at the dock,” said Chris Smith, CEO of Slip Robotics. “SlipLift extends that philosophy. Customers get fast, repeatable load and unload times across more routes, without adding robots or complexity.”
SlipLift designed for faster dock operations
Slip Robotics claimed that its robotic platforms can automatically load or unload any truck in five minutes — at any dock, with any type of freight, in any trailer, and with no Wi-Fi or IT integration required. The Norcross, Ga.-based company said it can help organizations reduce variability at the dock while improving throughput, safety, and operational predictability across supply chains.
Companies across North America using SlipBots in 24/7 production operations include John Deere, GE Appliances, Nissan, and Valeo.
By decoupling the robot from the payload, Slip Robotics said that SlipLift delivers SlipBot-level speed, safety, and labor savings. Fewer robots can cover more docks, resulting in faster and more predictable dock operations, said the company.
Slip Robotics introduced SlipBot to solve short-haul, high-frequency, closed-loop loading. SlipLift builds directly on that foundation, extending Slip’s robots-as-a-service (RaaS) model to routes and applications where payload weight, route length, or dock variability previously limited automation.
“SlipLift lets customers scale automation without scaling complexity,” said Smith. “We’re delivering faster and more predictable dock operations, keeping people out of trailers, and making deployment as simple as rolling the system onto the dock.”
Slip Robotics serves more sectors
As Slip worked with customers across manufacturing, distribution, and logistics, it saw a clear pattern emerge.
“We kept hearing the same thing from customers,” said Smith. “They wanted the same fast, predictable dock turns we deliver today, but for heavier freight and more routes. SlipLift came directly out of those conversations—it’s about meeting customers where their operations actually are.”
Heavy short-haul, high-velocity operations such as food and beverage, packaging and paper products, and dense automotive assemblies can benefit from SlipLift’s support for payloads up to 20,000 lb. (9,071.8 kg), said Slip Robotics.
Regional and medium-haul distribution networks, including consumer packaged goods, cold chain hubs, and furniture distribution, can now use fewer robots to service more doors, the company noted. Decoupling robots from individual shipments allows automation to scale across multi-site networks without requiring a robot at every door.
Last-mile delivery operations can benefit from SlipLift’s ability to pre-stage freight ahead of daily routes Slip added. Morning load-outs can be completed in minutes, enabling more deliveries per day while reducing driver dwell time and congestion at the dock.
“Pre-staging changes the economics of last-mile loading,” said Lauren Marneni, head of product at Slip Robotics. “When freight is ready on a SlipCarrier, loading becomes a quick, repeatable process instead of a daily scramble.”
SlipLift operates through a simple, repeatable workflow. A SlipLift picks up a loaded SlipCarrier from the dock, autonomously places it inside a trailer or box truck, and exits before repeating the process until the load is complete. Operators remain outside the trailer using a handheld controller, while the robot handles navigation, alignment, and placement.
“Our goal was to make autonomy feel natural for operators,” Marneni added. “The operator stays in control, but the robot does the hard, dangerous work inside the trailer. That’s how you improve safety without slowing things down.”
SlipCarriers are a key enabler of this flexibility, said Slip Robotics. Instead of modifying robots to handle new freight types, SlipCarriers can be customized to support different payloads, simplifying configuration and expansion, it explained. When empty, SlipCarriers stack, saving dock space and enabling efficient transport.
After showing SlipLift at Manifest, Slip Robotics said it will bring the robot to MODEX 2026. Initial deployments are underway, and the company plans to make SlipLift broadly availabile this year.