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From the Editor
Robotics Funding Surge includes Capital for Vecna, Wisk and Electric Sheep
If you thought last week saw a lot of funding news in the robotics space, welcome to this week’s surge. Companies such as Vecna Robotics ($65M), Wisk ($450M from Boeing), Phantom Auto ($42M) and Wandelbots ($84M) announced new funding to help them expand their companies and help customers solve problems with labor shortages and optimize automation processes. Even the awesomely named. Electric Sheep Robotics scored $21.5 million to help launch its Dexter technology, which adds autonomy and robotics to existing commercial lawn mowers. As someone who mowed lawns on a corporate campus during my college summers, I can attest to the manual and boring nature of this task. Vecna’s funding will help the company expand its AMRs within warehouse and manufacturing environments, and Boeing’s investment in Wisk brings us closer to a world of autonomous electric aircraft “taxi” service for passengers. Wandelbots helps manufacturers to program industrial robots easier, which is sorely needed; and Phantom Auto helps customers remotely operate vehicles like forklifts in warehouses. Congratulations to all the companies who received funding this week!
— Keith Shaw, Managing Editor |
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Epson Updates T-Series All-in-One SCARA Robots Lineup
Epson Robots has announced new updates to its T-Series line of all-in-one SCARA Robots with the introduction of the T3-B and T6-B models. The robots aim to offer value to ease automation for new entrants and advanced users of robotics. The new versions support complex and simple automation applications, which include packaging, pick-and-place, dispensing, and inspection. The robots include the same software and features of Epson’s high-end robots, while keeping the total cost of ownership in industries such as automotive, medical development, lab automation, consumer electronics, electronic components, and industrial, said Epson. |
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Ouster, Serve Robotics Sign Multi-Year Agreement to Expand Robot Delivery Fleets
Ouster and Serve Robotics have announced a strategic customer agreement that includes a binding commitment for OS digital lidar sensors through 2023, along with a non-binding forecast for additional sensors through 2025 as Serve Robotics scales its delivery fleets across U.S. cities and beyond. Serve Robotics said it plans to outfit each of its next-generation delivery robots with an Ouster OS1 sensor. The digital lidar is fused into the robot’s autonomy stack to locate its precise position and simultaneously generate a real-time 3D map of its surrounding environment so it can navigate more safely and efficiently on city sidewalks alongside pedestrians and other road users. |
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Aquiline Drones, AWARE Team up to Expand Emergency Drone Offering
Aquiline Drones, an American drone manufacturing and cloud technology company, and GlobalFlyte, makers of the AWARE secure, cloud-based suite of technologies designed for first responders, have announced a strategic partnership to enhance the ability to comprehensively respond to any emergency incident. The new collaboration creates an end-to-end, software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that extends AWARE’s Smart Response Software to Aquiline’s Sparticus line of autonomous, AI-enabled drones and its cloud-based cognitive AI services with real-time control and dynamic on-field decision-making capabilities. The goal is to help firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians assess the situation, deploy necessary resources and determine their life-saving course of action in real time before, during and after an emergency event. |
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Delek US Earns BVLOS Approval for Refineries Inspection via Drone
Percepto, which develops autonomous inspection through industrial robotics, has announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for Delek US Holdings’ refineries in Tyler, Texas, and El Dorado, Ark. Through the use of Percepto drones, the company could inspect its facilities and receive visual data management and analysis. The approval allows Delek US to operate its drones without a pilot to maintain line of sight with the drone. An operator located in a control room can manage and monitor pre-scheduled fully autonomous drone missions. |
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Beyond Imagination, GelSight to Pilot Tactile Sensing with Telepresence Robotics
Beyond Imagination, an AI and robotics platform company developing humanoid robots, has announced teaming up with GelSight, which develops tactile intelligence technology, to initiate a pilot to study the feasibility of using humanoid robots to remotely operate GelSight’s tactile sensors. The robots, known as “Beomni,” are tall, wireless humanoid robots that can be remotely controlled in real time from any commercially available virtual reality platform. The companies said they believe this pairing could eliminate costs and increase functionality in many applications where GelSight’s technology is used today, including manufacturing, quality assurance, and robotics. |
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Aurora Outlines Path to Self-Driving Commercial Launch
Pittsburgh-based Aurora, which is developing an autonomous trucking and ride-hailing business at scale, has announced its plans to commercially launch the trucking business and ride-hailing business over the next few years. As part of that plan, the company outlined updates and strategies around safety. By the end of Q1 2022, the company said it expects to launch the Aurora Driver Beta 2.0, the next-generation of its Aurora-Driver-powered trucks, as well as the first test fleet of its Driver-powered Toyota Siennas. Quarterly releases will include updates that refine the software’s ability to operate on highways and surrounding surface streets for both platforms. The company said each beta release will represent progress towards the commercially viable product, “increasing the expanse and maturity necessary to deliver a scalable Aurora Driver.” |
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In Case You Missed It
Gaumard Launches New Robot Patient Simulator for Healthcare Training
Gaumard Scientific Co., which develops simulation technology for healthcare education and training, has announced the HAL S5301, the latest of its advanced multidisciplinary patient simulators. The company was set to introduce the robot at the International Meeting in Healthcare (IMSH) in Los Angeles, Jan. 15-19. The HAL S5301 features lifelike movement to simulate symptoms of stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The system includes conversational speech, lifelike movement and next-generation simulated physiology, and represents Gaumard’s next leap in simulation technologies. Read More |
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Featured Article
Vecna Robotics Raises $65M to Expand Material Handling Automation
Vecna Robotics, which develops flexible material handling automation technology with software and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), has announced raising $65 million in Series C funding, led by Tiger Global Management. The company said the new financing will help fund its technology roadmap with new AMRs and software, and accelerate fulfillment of new orders and expanded operations to address a $165 billion market opportunity for pallet-moving autonomy. Vecna’s AMR systems include self-driving fork trucks, pallet trucks and tuggers, which are powered by the company’s proprietary Pivotal orchestration software and a 24/7/365 command center to help distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing organizations automate critical workflows. Read More |
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Robot News
- Owl Autonomous Imaging Raises $15M for 3D Thermal Sensor
Owl Autonomous Imaging (Owl AI), which develops monocular 3D thermal imaging and ranging solutions for automotive safety systems, has announced raising $15 million in Series A funding, led by State Farm Ventures. The company’s patented technology is an adaptation of a thermal ranging solution developed under a challenge grant from the U.S. Air Force to track missiles in flight that travel at more than 1,000 mph. Owl developed a 3D thermal ranging camera, a solid-state camera that delivers HD thermal video with high precision ranging for development into autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). View Video
- Drone Delivery Canada Makes Progress on Canary Testing
Toronto-based Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (DDC) has announced continued success in its development and testing of its Canary drone system, which it expects will be used as a logistics software platform for software-as-a-service customers in business and government. The company said testing and development is on schedule, with the completion of aircraft tuning at altitude (pitch, yaw, and roll), and completion of aircraft ground and vibration testing. The company said current testing includes flight controller tuning to fly in semi-autonomous flight modes, refining onboard avionics, payload and communications systems. The next steps will be testing full autonomous missions and expanding the flight envelope. View Video
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Robotics Funding
Wandelbots Raises $84M to Advance Industrial Robot Software Platform
Germany-based Wandelbots, a robotics software company that aims to make industrial robots more accessible, has announced it raised more than $84 million in a Series C funding round, led by Insight Partners. The company’s software deploys a no-code approach to bring automation to the next level by enabling application experts to teach their robots independently, becoming robot experts without the need for coding skills. The teaching solution – Wandelbots Teaching – removes the barrier to programming robots with easy-to-use software interfaces, and a hardware-agnostic platform allows for the same interface for all supported robot types. The company said this approach empowers companies both large and small to work more easily with robots on the shop floor. Read More |
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Electric Sheep Raises $21.5M, Makes Autonomous Mower Available
Electric Sheep Robotics, which develops autonomous lawn mowers, has announced raising $21.5 million in Series A financing, led by Tiger Global. The company also announced general availability of its Dexter robot, which takes existing commercial lawn mowers, both gas and electric, and turns them into autonomous vehicles. Dexter attaches to new or existing lawn mowers, and requires minimal training in order to autonomously mow any type of grass, the company said. Landscapers just need to show Dexter what to do one time, and then the robot autonomously repeats those actions. The equipment uses technology such as lidar, cameras, GPS, and ultrasonic sensors for precise maneuvering across diverse terrain. The hardware also includes over-the-air firmware updates. All robots are monitored while in use, and have a safety-rated system capable of detecting perimeter breaches, even in the most adverse conditions, the company added. Dexter is being designed to the evolving R15.08 standard for self-driving robots, and is available with no upfront costs through a robots-as-a-service model. Read More |
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Robotics Funding
Boeing Invests $450M into Wisk for Self-Flying Electric Air Taxi
Wisk, which is developing advanced air mobility (AAM) services and the first all-electric, self-flying air taxi in the U.S., has announced securing $450 million in funding from The Boeing Company. Combined with previous funding, the new investment aims to highlight the strength of Wisk’s strategic partnership with Boeing and their collaboration on critical technology development. The company said the investment will further advance the development of Wisk’s sixth-generation eVTOL aircraft, a candidate for certification of an autonomous, all-electric, passenger-carrying aircraft in the U.S. The funding will also support the company as it enters an intensive growth phase over the next year as it prepares to launch scale manufacturing and a go-to-market effort. Read More View Video |
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Phantom Auto Raises $42M to Grow Remote Operation Platform
Phantom Auto, which develops remote operation software for logistics vehicles, has announced a strategic investment of $42 million, led by freight and logistics provider ArcBest, and NFI, one of the largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers in North America. The two investors have executed commercial agreements to deploy thousands of Phantom-powered forklifts in the coming years. The company aims to help customers solve the labor shortage within warehouses, which is estimated to cost the U.S. economy $1 trillion by 2030. The platform uses human-centered remote operation, letting people remotely operate forklifts, trucks, robots, and other vehicles from up to thousands of miles away. The company said that with the platform, supply chain operators can tap into drivers from anywhere – connecting people who want to work with jobs that need to be filled. Read More View Video |
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