Adapta Robotics questions REBORN’s fully manual testing process

REBORN sees this human-led approach as essential to building customer trust and ensuring consistent product quality. The company claims its technicians’ nuanced judgment leads to fewer returns, less waste, and greater customer satisfaction. At a time when speed and volume dominate the secondary device market, REBORN stands out as a brand prioritising artisanal attention to detail.

Industry shifts toward automation

In contrast, the global industry is embracing automation at pace. In the United States, around 85% of used devices are now tested and graded by robotic systems. These systems offer greater consistency, scalability, and efficiency, especially when handling large volumes. They also help reduce human error and shorten the time required to bring devices back to market. Robotic solutions are particularly valuable in large-scale operations processing up to 3,000 phones per day.

This widening gap between craftsmanship and automation reflects not only strategic preferences but also deeper questions about consistency, labour training, and consumer expectations.

Adapta Robotics sees a hybrid future

To gain a deeper understanding of how robotics is evolving within refurbishment, SecondaryMarket.news spoke with Mihai Crăciunescu, co-founder of Romanian robotics company Adapta Robotics. Founded in 2015, Adapta has built a reputation for delivering smart automation tools across industries including electronics, automotive, and retail. Its flagship solution, the #MATTRobot , simulates human touch gestures to test touchscreens, responsiveness, and software stability in smartphones and tablets.

Mihai Crăciunescu acknowledges REBORN’s philosophy but argues that a hybrid model may offer the best of both worlds. “While robots can’t capture every fine nuance, they do not need to,” he said. “A robotic system handling 80 to 90% of the workload can flag exceptions. Humans can then focus on validating just the 5 to 10% of devices where an issue was detected.”

Robots help reduce error and retraining

According to Mihai Crăciunescu, robots add not only speed and scale but also consistency. “People are subjective,” he said. “If ten technicians evaluate cosmetic damage or touchscreen behaviour, they might reach different conclusions. And when you process thousands of devices daily, this variation matters.”

He also pointed out that training new employees is both time-consuming and error-prone, especially when turnover is high. “With robotic systems, you eliminate the need to constantly retrain staff. The systems are designed to deliver uniform results without fatigue, bias, or oversight.”

AI is increasing robotic precision

Adapta Robotics has been integrating AI and machine learning into its systems to improve fault detection. New capabilities allow the robot to identify inconsistencies or borderline failures that require further review. “We can teach the robot to recognise when something is not quite right, such as an irregular touch response or abnormal colour shift. These anomalies are flagged, so a human can do a second pass if needed,” said Mihai Crăciunescu.

He agrees that certain aspects, like speaker tone or subtle display defects, may always require human input. But he believes this should not justify a fully manual process. “To say everything should be done by hand is a bit extreme. Especially in a high-volume setting, where repetition can lead to errors.”

Craftsmanship still has a place

While automation is expanding, Mihai Crăciunescu does not dismiss REBORN’s commitment to manual work. “There’s real value in human expertise,” he said. “If your business is built around customer relationships and boutique quality, it makes sense to rely on human judgment. But if your goal is scale, automation is essential.”

He suggests a layered approach. “Use robotics for the 90% of tasks that benefit from consistency. Reserve human expertise for the 10% that require subjective judgment. That way, you scale without sacrificing quality.”

Human and machine need not compete

Ultimately, the discussion is not about choosing between humans and robots but deciding how they complement each other. Companies like REBORN are proving that a handcrafted model can work, especially in markets that value personal attention and transparency. But as volumes grow and customer expectations around delivery speed increase, scalable automation may become necessary for most operators.

The refurbishment industry is still evolving, and the most successful companies may be those that find the right balance between automation and human oversight. Whether a device is tested by a robot or a technician, the goal remains the same: to deliver a reliable, high-quality product to the end user.