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Waymo ends waitlist, opens robotaxi service to all in San Francisco

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:49:46 +0000

Waymo is ditching its waitlist and allowing anyone to hail a Waymo robotaxi in San Francisco. | Source: Waymo

Starting today, anyone in San Francisco can hail a robotaxi using Waymo LLC’s app. The company has been operating in the city for years now, slowing scaling its operations. In total, nearly 300,000 people, including those who live, work, and visit San Francisco, have signed up to ride since the company first opened its waitlist.

Before today, Waymo has welcomed new riders incrementally in the city, and now it’s opening its services to everyone. The Mountain View, Calif.-based Alphabet Inc. subsidiary said in a blog post that it is already completing tens of thousands of weekly trips in San Francisco. The company claimed that its Waymo One service provides safe, sustainable, and reliable transportation to locals and visitors to the city.

“I’m thankful to be living in a city that embraces technology when it can improve our lives with convenient and safe modes of transit,” stated Michelle Cusano, Executive Director at The Richmond Neighborhood Center.

Waymo has been hard at work expanding its robotaxi operations in several cities this year. Earlier this month, it expanded its service in Phoenix, its largest service area. The company added 90 square miles (233 sq. km) to what was already its largest service area in metropolitan Phoenix.

Waymo said its riders can now hail Waymo One service across 315 square miles (815.8 sq. km) of the Valley. The expanded service area covers more of Scottsdale’s resorts and expands to downtown Mesa, Ariz. This gives riders access to desert attractions, golf courses, and downtown destinations such as the Mesa Arts Center and Pioneer Park.

How are riders using Waymo One in SF?

Waymo recently conducted a rider survey to learn about where its users are going in its robotaxis. The company reported that about 30% of its rides in San Francisco are to local businesses.

In addition, over half of the riders said they’ve used Waymo in the past couple of months to travel to or from medical appointments. The company asserted that this highlights the value of personal space during these trips.

Interestingly, 36% of riders in San Francisco said they used Waymo to connect to other forms of transit, like BART or Muni.

“I enjoy riding in Waymo cars and appreciate the ease of transportation,” said Charles Renfroe, development manager at Openhouse SF. “Members of our community, especially transgender and gender non-conforming folks, don’t have to worry about being verbally assaulted or discriminated against when riding with Waymo.”

Waymo’s fleet is all-electric and sources 100% renewable energy from the City’s CleanPowerSF program. Since the beginning of its commercial operations in August 2023, the company said its rides have helped curb carbon emissions by an estimated 570,000 kg (628,317 tons).

California Sen. Dave Cortese last week withdrew Senate Bill 915. It would have allowed local governments to restrict and tax autonomous vehicle companies, similar to how conventional taxicab companies are regulated in California.

Robotaxi hits rough roads in Phoenix

Earlier this month, Waymo issued a voluntary software recall for all of its 672 robotaxis after one autonomously drove into a telephone pole in Phoenix last month. This was Waymo’s second-ever recall.

During the incident, which took place on May 21, an empty Waymo vehicle was driving to pick up a passenger. To get there, it drove through an alley lined on both sides by wooden telephone poles that were level with the road, not up on a curb. The road had longitudinal yellow striping on both sides to indicate the path for vehicles.

As the vehicle pulled over, it struck one of the poles at a speed of 8 mph (12.8 kph), sustaining some damage. No passengers or bystanders were hurt, said Waymo.

After completing the software update, the company filed the recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Waymo said this update corrects an error in the software that “assigns a low damage score” to the telephone pole. In addition, it updates the company’s map so its vehicles can better account for the hard road edge in the alleyway that was previously not included.

Waymo’s engineers deployed the recall at its central depot to which its robotaxis regularly return for maintenance and testing. It was not an over-the-air software update.

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Waabi raises $200M from Uber, NVIDIA, and others on the road to self-driving trucks

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:40:06 +0000

The Waabi Driver includes a generative AI stack as well as sensors and compute hardware. Source: Waabi

Autonomous passenger vehicles have hit potholes over the past few years, with accidents leading to regulatory scrutiny, but investment in self-driving trucks has continued. Waabi today announced that it has raised $200 million in an oversubscribed Series B round. The funding brings total investment in the Toronto-based startup to more than $280 million.

Waabi said that it “is on the verge of Level 4 autonomy” and that it expects to deploy fully autonomous trucks in Texas next year. The company claimed that it has been able to advance quickly toward that goal because of its use of generative artificial intelligence in the physical world.

“I have spent most of my professional life dedicated to inventing new AI technologies that can deliver on the enormous potential of AI in the physical world in a provably safe and scalable way,” stated Raquel Urtasun, a professor at the University of Toronto and founder and CEO of Waabi.

“Over the past three years, alongside the incredible team at Waabi, I have had the chance to turn these breakthroughs into a revolutionary product that has far surpassed my expectations,” she added. “We have everything we need — breakthrough technology, an incredible team, and pioneering partners and investors — to launch fully driverless autonomous trucks in 2025. This is monumental for the industry and truly marks the beginning of the next frontier for AI.”

Waabi uses generative AI to reduce on-road testing

Waabi said it is pioneering generative AI for the physical world, starting with applying the technology to self-driving trucks. The company said it has developed “a single end-to-end AI system that is capable of human-like reasoning, enabling it to generalize to any situation that might happen on the road, including those it has never seen before.”

Because of that ability to generalize, the system requires significantly less training data and compute resources in comparison with approaches to autonomy, asserted Waabi. In addition, the company claimed that its system is fully interpretable and that its safety can be validated and verified.

The company said Copilot4D, its “end-to-end AI system, paired with Waabi World, the world’s most advanced simulator, reduces the need for extensive on-road testing and enables a safer, more efficient solution that is highly performant and scalable from Day 1.”

Several industry observers have pointed out that self-driving trucks will likely arrive on public roads before widespread deployments of robotaxis in the U.S. While Waymo has pumped the brakes on development, other companies have made progress, including Inceptio, FERNRIDE, Kodiak Robotics, and Aurora.

At the same time, work on self-driving cars continues, with Wayve raising $1.05 billion last month and TIER IV obtaining $54 million. General Motors invested another $850 million in Cruise yesterday.

“Self-driving technology is a prime example of how AI can dramatically improve our lives,” said AI luminary Geoff Hinton. “Raquel and Waabi are at the forefront of innovation, developing a revolutionary approach that radically changes the way autonomous systems work and leads to safer and more efficient solutions.”

Waabi plans to expand its commercial operations and grow its team in Canada and the U.S. The company cited recent accomplishments, including the opening of its new Texas AV trucking terminal, a collaboration with NVIDIA to integrate NVIDIA DRIVE Thor into the Waabi Driver, and its ongoing partnership with Uber Freight. It has run autonomous shipments for Fortune 500 companies and top-tier shippers in Texas.

Copilot4D predicts future lidar point clouds from a history of past observations, similar to how large language models (LLMs) predict the next word given the preceding text. Source: Waabi

Technology leaders invest in self-driving trucks

Waabi noted that top AI, automotive, and logistics enterprises were among its investors. Uber and Khosla Ventures led Waabi’s Series B round. Other participants included NVIDIA, Volvo Group Venture Capital, Porsche Automobil Holding, Scania Invest, and Ingka Investments.

“Waabi is developing autonomous trucking by applying cutting-edge generative AI to the physical world,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “I’m excited to support Raquel’s vision through our investment in Waabi, which is powered by NVIDIA technology. I have championed Raquel’s pioneering work in AI for more than a decade. Her tenacity to solve the impossible is an inspiration.”

Additional support came from HarbourVest Partners, G2 Venture Partners, BDC Capital’s Thrive Venture Fund, Export Development Canada, Radical Ventures, Incharge Capital, and others.

“We are big believers in the potential for autonomous technology to revolutionize transportation, making a safer and more sustainable future possible,” added Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “Raquel is a visionary in the field, and under her leadership, Waabi’s AI-first approach provides a solution that is extremely exciting in both its scalability and capital efficiency.”

Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, said: “Change never comes from incumbents but from the innovation of entrepreneurs that challenge the status quo. Raquel and her team at Waabi have done exactly that with their products and business execution. We backed Waabi very early on with the bet that generative AI would transform transportation and are thrilled to continue on this journey with them as they move towards commercialization.”

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At CVPR, NVIDIA offers Omniverse microservices, shows advances in visual generative AI

Isha Salian — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:07 +0000

As shown at CVPR, Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX microservices generate high-fidelity sensor simulation from
an autonomous vehicle (left) and an autonomous mobile robot (right). Sources: NVIDIA, Fraunhofer IML (right)

NVIDIA Corp. today announced NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX, a set of microservices that enable physically accurate sensor simulation to accelerate the development of all kinds of autonomous machines.

NVIDIA researchers are also presenting 50 research projects around visual generative AI at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, or CVPR, conference this week in Seattle. They include new techniques to create and interpret images, videos, and 3D environments. In addition, the company said it has created its largest indoor synthetic dataset with Omniverse for CVPR’s AI City Challenge.

Sensors provide industrial manipulators, mobile robots, autonomous vehicles, humanoids, and smart spaces with the data they need to comprehend the physical world and make informed decisions.

NVIDIA said developers can use Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX to test sensor perception and associated AI software in physically accurate, realistic virtual environments before real-world deployment. This can enhance safety while saving time and costs, it said.

“Developing safe and reliable autonomous machines powered by generative physical AI requires training and testing in physically based virtual worlds,” stated Rev Lebaredian, vice president of Omniverse and simulation technology at NVIDIA. “Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX microservices will enable developers to easily build large-scale digital twins of factories, cities and even Earth — helping accelerate the next wave of AI.”

Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX supports simulation at scale

Built on the OpenUSD framework and powered by NVIDIA RTX ray-tracing and neural-rendering technologies, Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX combines real-world data from videos, cameras, radar, and lidar with synthetic data.

Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX includes software application programming interfaces (APIs) to accelerate the development of autonomous machines for any industry, NVIDIA said.

Even for scenarios with limited real-world data, the microservices can simulate a broad range of activities, claimed the company. It cited examples such as whether a robotic arm is operating correctly, an airport luggage carousel is functional, a tree branch is blocking a roadway, a factory conveyor belt is in motion, or a robot or person is nearby.

Microservice to be available for AV development

CARLA, Foretellix, and MathWorks are among the first software developers with access to Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX for autonomous vehicles (AVs). The microservices will also enable sensor makers to validate and integrate digital twins of their systems in virtual environments, reducing the time needed for physical prototyping, said NVIDIA.

Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX will be generally available later this year. NVIDIA noted that its announcement coincided with its first-place win at the Autonomous Grand Challenge for End-to-End Driving at Scale at CVPR.

The NVIDIA researchers’ winning workflow can be replicated in high-fidelity simulated environments with Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX. Developers can use it to test self-driving scenarios in physically accurate environments before deploying AVs in the real world, said the company.

Two of NVIDIA’s papers — one on the training dynamics of diffusion models and another on high-definition maps for autonomous vehicles — are finalists for the Best Paper Awards at CVPR.

The company also said its win for the End-to-End Driving at Scale track demonstrates its use of generative AI for comprehensive self-driving models. The winning submission outperformed more than 450 entries worldwide and received CVPR’s Innovation Award.

Collectively, the work introduces artificial intelligence models that could accelerate the training of robots for manufacturing, enable artists to more quickly realize their visions, and help healthcare workers process radiology reports.

“Artificial intelligence — and generative AI in particular — represents a pivotal technological advancement,” said Jan Kautz, vice president of learning and perception research at NVIDIA. “At CVPR, NVIDIA Research is sharing how we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible — from powerful image-generation models that could supercharge professional creators to autonomous driving software that could help enable next-generation self-driving cars.”

Foundation model eases object pose estimation

NVIDIA researchers at CVPR are also presenting FoundationPose, a foundation model for object pose estimation and tracking that can be instantly applied to new objects during inference, without the need for fine tuning. The model uses either a small set of reference images or a 3D representation of an object to understand its shape. It set a new record on a benchmark for object pose estimation.

FoundationPose can then identify and track how that object moves and rotates in 3D across a video, even in poor lighting conditions or complex scenes with visual obstructions, explained NVIDIA.

Industrial robots could use FoundationPose to identify and track the objects they interact with. Augmented reality (AR) applications could also use it with AI to overlay visuals on a live scene.

NeRFDeformer transforms data from a single image

NVIDIA’s research includes a text-to-image model that can be customized to depict a specific object or character, a new model for object-pose estimation, a technique to edit neural radiance fields (NeRFs), and a visual language model that can understand memes. Additional papers introduce domain-specific innovations for industries including automotive, healthcare, and robotics.

A NeRF is an AI model that can render a 3D scene based on a series of 2D images taken from different positions in the environment. In robotics, NeRFs can generate immersive 3D renders of complex real-world scenes, such as a cluttered room or a construction site.

However, to make any changes, developers would need to manually define how the scene has transformed — or remake the NeRF entirely.

Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and NVIDIA have simplified the process with NeRFDeformer. The method can transform an existing NeRF using a single RGB-D image, which is a combination of a normal photo and a depth map that captures how far each object in a scene is from the camera.

Researchers have simplified the process of generating a 3D scene from 2D images using NeRFs. Source: NVIDIA

JeDi model shows how to simplify image creation at CVPR

Creators typically use diffusion models to generate specific images based on text prompts. Prior research focused on the user training a model on a custom dataset, but the fine-tuning process can be time-consuming and inaccessible to general users, said NVIDIA.

JeDi, a paper by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, and NVIDIA, proposes a new technique that allows users to personalize the output of a diffusion model within a couple of seconds using reference images. The team found that the model outperforms existing methods.

NVIDIA added that JeDi can be combined with retrieval-augmented generation, or RAG, to generate visuals specific to a database, such as a brand’s product catalog.

JeDi is a new technique that allows users to easily personalize the output of a diffusion model within a couple of seconds using reference images, like an astronaut cat that can be placed in different environments. Source: NVIDIA

Visual language model helps AI get the picture

NVIDIA said it has collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to advance the state of the art for vision language models, which are generative AI models that can process videos, images, and text. The partners developed VILA, a family of open-source visual language models that they said outperforms prior neural networks on benchmarks that test how well AI models answer questions about images.

VILA’s pretraining process provided enhanced world knowledge, stronger in-context learning, and the ability to reason across multiple images, claimed the MIT and NVIDIA team.

The VILA model family can be optimized for inference using the NVIDIA TensorRT-LLM open-source library and can be deployed on NVIDIA GPUs in data centers, workstations, and edge devices.

VILA can understand memes and reason based on multiple images or video frames. Source: NVIDIA

Generative AI drives AV, smart city research at CVPR

NVIDIA Research has hundreds of scientists and engineers worldwide, with teams focused on topics including AI, computer graphics, computer vision, self-driving cars, and robotics. A dozen of the NVIDIA-authored CVPR papers focus on autonomous vehicle research.

“Producing and Leveraging Online Map Uncertainty in Trajectory Prediction,” a paper authored by researchers from the University of Toronto and NVIDIA, has been selected as one of 24 finalists for CVPR’s best paper award.

In addition, Sanja Fidler, vice president of AI research at NVIDIA, will present on vision language models at the Workshop on Autonomous Driving today.

NVIDIA has contributed to the CVPR AI City Challenge for the eighth consecutive year to help advance research and development for smart cities and industrial automation. The challenge’s datasets were generated using NVIDIA Omniverse, a platform of APIs, software development kits (SDKs), and services for building applications and workflows based on Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD).

AI City Challenge synthetic datasets span multiple environments generated by NVIDIA Omniverse, allowing hundreds of teams to test AI models in physical settings such as retail and warehouse environments to enhance operational efficiency. Source: NVIDIA

About the author

Isha Salian writes about deep learning, science and healthcare, among other topics, as part of NVIDIA’s corporate communications team. She first joined the company as an intern in summer 2015. Isha has a journalism M.A., as well as undergraduate degrees in communication and English, from Stanford.

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Beep deploys autonomous shuttles at Honolulu airport with partners

Eugene Demaitre — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 12:00:27 +0000

Wiki Wiki shuttles await passenger riders at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu. Source: Beep

As millions of people in the Northern Hemisphere begin summer vacations, some of them will board autonomous vehicles for part of their journeys. Last month, Beep Inc. announced that it is working with the Hawai’i Department of Transportation, or HDOT, and Sustainability Partners to launch an 18-month self-driving shuttle pilot at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, formerly HNL.

“Through our partnership with Sustainability Partners, we’re honored that HDOT and HNL have placed their trust in our experience, leadership and differentiated approach of safe and integrated autonomous mobility with the launch of the Miki shuttle pilot service,” stated Joe Moye, CEO of Beep, at the time. “Our fleet of turnkey shared and electric autonomous shuttles prioritizes safety and sustainability while enhancing the airport travel experience for passengers.”

Founded in 2018, Beep said it delivers software and services for next-generation autonomous, shared-mobility systems. The Orlando, Fla.-based company plans, deploys, and manages autonomous shuttles for private and public communities. It also claimed that it continually improves safety and operating capabilities with data from its deployments.

Eduardo Rosa, senior vice president of operations at Beep, answered the following questions about the Honolulu deployment, which the company claimed is the first of its kind:

Autonomous shuttles face crowded airport environs

What are some of the current transport challenges at airports, and specifically at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport?

Rosa: Between a skyrocketing number of air travelers, traditional transportation networks and staffing issues, many airports around the country are facing significant challenges addressing their transportation needs.

While the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport shares many common transport challenges with other major airports, its unique location and the high volume of tourist traffic presents specific issues that require ongoing attention and improvement.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation, which operates HNL and 14 other airports statewide, is addressing these challenges through an airports modernization program that includes infrastructure upgrades, improved traffic management systems, and enhancements to existing transport links. This includes initiatives such as the pilot program with Beep to see if autonomous shuttles can be incorporated into the airport’s passenger-shuttle operations.

How does the Miki shuttle deal with obstacles such as luggage carts, manual shuttles, and pedestrians?

Rosa: Like all of Beep’s autonomous shared-mobility solutions, the Miki — the Hawaiian word for “agile” — shuttles are equipped with autonomous software and hardware that allow the vehicles to safely navigate any obstacles and operate alongside human-driven vehicles. These technologies, along with an onboard attendant, allow the shuttles to be operated safely in airport and other congested environments like campuses, communities, and public transit.

The Miki shuttles operate as secondary support vehicles to the airport’s existing Wiki Wiki — the Hawaiian word for “fast” — shuttle buses. The vehicles operate along dedicated routes in the airport’s restricted area, where pedestrians, luggage carts and other obstacles do not impede mobility.

Beep leverages its leadership in having run the nation’s largest and most tenured autonomous shuttle service deployments to date—from Hawaii, California, and North Carolina to Florida and more from coast to coast. [It] is entrusted by local governments and transit authorities nationwide.

Our deployments have shuttled tens of thousands of people safely and are allowing us to actively lead the charge in evolving the technology and operations to navigate through complicated, real-world environments. It’s a constant evolution.

How much integration is necessary between the Miki and Wiki Wiki shuttles?

Rosa: With the ability to carry 11 passengers including an attendant, the Miki shuttles are operating on the same routes as the Wiki Wiki shuttles and are easily capable of working alongside and augmenting human-driven routes. In many of Beep’s deployments, shuttles operate safely alongside other drivers and municipal vehicles.

The Miki and Wiki Wiki shuttles transport passengers between Terminals 1 and 2 between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. daily.

Beep engaged the Wiki Wiki service early on in the deployment process to ensure seamless integration and coordinated operations of augmented transportation. Beep always maintains continuous radio communications with the buses at all times through our Command Center, allowing for real-time updates and immediate response to any issues, thereby enhancing safety and efficiency.

Most of Beep’s shuttle deployments are designed to integrate into and enhance existing transport systems – reflected strongly by this project being led by the Hawai’i Department of Transportation and facilitated by Sustainability Partners.

Beep is working with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida on the Autonomous Innovation Center. Source: Beep

Beep dedicates staffers to Mika shuttle pilot

Are the shuttles fully autonomous — is there a teleoperation or manual option?

Rosa: The Miki shuttles operate autonomously along a pre-programmed route with an onboard attendant who, at any time, can take control of the shuttle if needed. These staff members are there to educate passengers about autonomous vehicles, as well as serve as an extra set of eyes for safety – in line with our work with NHTSA [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration].

Additionally, technicians in the Beep Command Center at our headquarters in Orlando’s Lake Nona are able to monitor shuttles remotely and can alert the attendant if there is a need for them to take manual control of the vehicle.

Are there dedicated staffers from Beep or HNL onsite during this pilot?

Rosa: Yes, in addition to the attendants who are on board the shuttles while they are in operation. All Beep service deployments are integrated into the communities where we operate with a mobility-as-a-service approach that’s clearly differentiated from other forms of AV implementation. This means everything from education, first responder training to other forms of onsite support.

Beep has launched the AutonomOS service management platform for rapid deployment and fleet visibility. Source: Beep

Sustainability a goal for autonomous shuttle developers

Is Sustainability Partners providing temporary charging infrastructure? How would that work at scale? Are the Wiki Wiki shuttles electric?

Rosa: The Wiki Wiki buses, HNL’s traditional transportation system, run on gasoline, but the Miki shuttles are all electric. The Hawai’i Department of Transportation, as part of its ongoing sustainability goals, is working to transition its fleet to electric vehicles, and the Miki shuttles are helping them work toward those goals.

Sustainability Partners is helping to advance the state’s electrification mission by facilitating the development of its electric vehicle infrastructure. The Beep shuttles only require a 220v plug to use their chargers, so temporary charging infrastructure is not required. The HNL Airport has ordered 18 electric transit buses as part of its efforts to transition its vehicle fleet to electric vehicles.

What are HDOT and the airport looking for in this pilot? What are their metrics or goals?

Rosa: HDOT and its partners are using the pilot project to evaluate new ways to increase the overall efficiency and augmentation of intra-airport transportation services. This pilot project is also helping HDOT continue testing the viability of electrified mobility as a clean, affordable option to connect passengers and staff to terminals and services.

Enhancing roadway safety is always a common goal between Beep and our partners, and is at the center of everything we do as a company—it is the focal point of planning, deployment and management of our mobility services and a critical component in our partnerships and education.

Beep builds on nationwide experience

How is this project different from Beep’s other deployments across the U.S., and have any of those led to full deployments?

Rosa: This project is a very exciting first use of Beep shuttles in an airport environment, the natural and ideal setting for shared, autonomous mobility systems.

It’s also very similar to many of our other projects spanning across the U.S. Beep has been testing and deploying autonomous shuttles in diverse environments for more than five years. This has brought us unmatched experience in the industry and provides us with the data, insights, and learnings needed to continue to safely advance the use of our shuttle systems in autonomous mobility networks everywhere.

Our leadership in testing and operating autonomous shuttle networks is demonstrated by the operation of the largest and longest tenured autonomous shuttle deployment in the U.S., with five routes serving Lake Nona, Fla.’s medical campus, residential community, business park and entertainment district in the master-planned, 17-sq.-mi. community.

We have also been awarded the nation’s largest public-sector contract for the deployment of autonomous shuttles by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Jacksonville, Fla. Beep also operated the first and only federally procured autonomous shuttle deployment serving public passengers at Yellowstone National Park, alongside additional deployments in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia.

We currently have several full deployments in planned developments, college campuses, retail hubs, municipalities and more. These first-mile, last-mile mobility solutions are providing valuable transportation options for passengers, while helping to reduce traffic and congestion where they are operating.

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RBR50 Spotlight: Opteran Mind reverse-engineers natural brain algorithms for mobile robot autonomy

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 14:28:47 +0000

Organization: Opteran
Country: U.K.
Website: https://opteran.com
Year Founded: 2019
Number of Employees: 11-50
Innovation Class: Technology

Current approaches to machine autonomy require a lot of sensor data and expensive compute and often still fail when exposed to the dynamic nature of the real world, according to Opteran. The company earned RBR50 recognition in 2021 for its lightweight Opteran Development kit, which took inspiration from research into insect intelligence.

In December 2023, Opteran commercialized its vision-based approach to autonomy by releasing Opteran Mind. The company, which has a presence in the U.K., Japan, and the U.S., announced that its new algorithms don’t require training, extensive infrastructure, or connectivity for perception and navigation.

This is an alternative to other AI and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), which are based on decades-old models of the human visual cortex, said James Marshall, a professor at the University of Sheffield and chief scientific officer at Opteran. Animal brains evolved to solve for motion first, not points in space, he noted.

Instead, Opteran Mind is a software product that can run with low-cost, 2D CMOS cameras and on low-power compute for non-deterministic path planning. OEMs and systems integrators can build bespoke systems on the reference hardware for mobile robots, aerial drones, and other devices.

“We provide localization, mapping, and collision prediction from robust panoramic, stabilized 3D CMOS camera input,” explained Marshall.

At a recent live demonstration at MassRobotics in Boston, the company showed how a simple autonomous mobile robot (AMR) using Opteran Mind 4.1 could navigate and avoid obstacles in a mirrored course that would normally be difficult for other technologies.

It is currently focusing on automated guided vehicles (AGVs), AMRs, and drones for warehousing, inspection, and maintenance.

“We have the only solution that provides robust localization in challenging environments with scene changes, aliasing, and highly dynamic light using the lowest-cost cameras and compute,” it said.

The company is currently working toward safety certifications and “decision engines,” according to Marshall.

Explore the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024.

RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024

Organization	Innovation
ABB Robotics	Modular industrial robot arms offer flexibility
Advanced Construction Robotics	IronBOT makes rebar installation faster, safer
Agility Robotics	Digit humanoid gets feet wet with logistics work
Amazon Robotics	Amazon strengthens portfolio with heavy-duty AGV
Ambi Robotics	AmbiSort uses real-world data to improve picking
Apptronik	Apollo humanoid features bespoke linear actuators
Boston Dynamics	Atlas shows off unique skills for humanoid
Brightpick	Autopicker applies mobile manipulation, AI to warehouses
Capra Robotics	Hircus AMR bridges gap between indoor, outdoor logistics
Dexterity	Dexterity stacks robotics and AI for truck loading
Disney	Disney brings beloved characters to life through robotics
Doosan	App-like Dart-Suite eases cobot programming
Electric Sheep	Vertical integration positions landscaping startup for success
Exotec	Skypod ASRS scales to serve automotive supplier
FANUC	FANUC ships one-millionth industrial robot
Figure	Startup builds working humanoid within one year
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics	evoBot features unique mobile manipulator design
Gardarika Tres	Develops de-mining robot for Ukraine
Geek+	Upgrades PopPick goods-to-person system
Glidance	Provides independence to visually impaired individuals
Harvard University	Exoskeleton improves walking for people with Parkinson’s disease
ifm efector	Obstacle Detection System simplifies mobile robot development
igus	ReBeL cobot gets low-cost, human-like hand
Instock	Instock turns fulfillment processes upside down with ASRS
Kodama Systems	Startup uses robotics to prevent wildfires
Kodiak Robotics	Autonomous pickup truck to enhance U.S. military operations
KUKA	Robotic arm leader doubles down on mobile robots for logistics
Locus Robotics	Mobile robot leader surpasses 2 billion picks
MassRobotics Accelerator	Equity-free accelerator positions startups for success
Mecademic	MCS500 SCARA robot accelerates micro-automation
MIT	Robotic ventricle advances understanding of heart disease
Mujin	TruckBot accelerates automated truck unloading
Mushiny	Intelligent 3D sorter ramps up throughput, flexibility
NASA	MOXIE completes historic oxygen-making mission on Mars
Neya Systems	Development of cybersecurity standards harden AGVs
NVIDIA	Nova Carter gives mobile robots all-around sight
Olive Robotics	EdgeROS eases robotics development process
OpenAI	LLMs enable embedded AI to flourish
Opteran	Applies insect intelligence to mobile robot navigation
Renovate Robotics	Rufus robot automates installation of roof shingles
Robel	Automates railway repairs to overcome labor shortage
Robust AI	Carter AMR joins DHL's impressive robotics portfolio
Rockwell Automation	Adds OTTO Motors mobile robots to manufacturing lineup
Sereact	PickGPT harnesses power of generative AI for robotics
Simbe Robotics	Scales inventory robotics deal with BJ’s Wholesale Club
Slip Robotics	Simplifies trailer loading/unloading with heavy-duty AMR
Symbotic	Walmart-backed company rides wave of logistics automation demand
Toyota Research Institute	Builds large behavior models for fast robot teaching
ULC Technologies	Cable Splicing Machine improve safety, power grid reliability
Universal Robots	Cobot leader strengthens lineup with UR30

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RBR50 Spotlight: Capra Robotics bridges gap between VELUX’s indoor, outdoor logistics

The Robot Report Staff — Wed, 22 May 2024 23:30:42 +0000

Organization: Capra Robotics
Country: Denmark
Website: https://capra.ooo/
Year Founded: 2019
Number of Employees: 11-50
Innovation Class: Application & Market

Editor’s Note: The 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards were announced on April 9. The RBR50 has been around for the past 12 years, and the inaugural RBR50 Gala was held during the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston. The Robot Report will be highlighting each RBR50 winner throughout the year.

Capra Robotics introduced the Capra Hircus, an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) designed to navigate challenging terrain with ease, thanks to its patented kinematic model and four-wheel chassis. This robot can carry various types of loads while moving across rough and uneven surfaces.

The Hircus AMR has the unique ability to navigate both indoors and outdoors, using a variety of sensors that keep it on its path. The system uses cameras for obstacle detection and avoidance.

VELUX, a Danish window manufacturer, had the challenge of transporting payloads and material weighing up to 500 kg (1,102.3 lb.) within and between its manufacturing facilities in Skjern, Denmark. The company sought a unified system to address this issue.

The Capra Hircus, in combination with a detachable cart from partner ROEQ, proved to be the ideal fit for VELUX’s requirements. It has incorporated the Capra AMR into current operations, with tasks from the central management system sent to the robot through the Capra Fleet Manager using the standardized VDA5050 interface.

Workers can stage and queue raw materials, work in process, and finished goods on the carts, and then schedule the robots to pick and move between manufacturing areas.

The movement process is completely automated as the robots autonomously control gates and doors along the way, giving them access to the outside world, and then back indoors once they arrive at their destinations.

VELUX said it sees immense potential in bridging the gap between indoor and outdoor transport. It added that integrated gate control, automated pickup and drop-off, and wireless charging were among the reasons Hircus was the obvious solution for its needs.

RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024

Organization	Innovation
ABB Robotics	Modular industrial robot arms offer flexibility
Advanced Construction Robotics	IronBOT makes rebar installation faster, safer
Agility Robotics	Digit humanoid gets feet wet with logistics work
Amazon Robotics	Amazon strengthens portfolio with heavy-duty AGV
Ambi Robotics	AmbiSort uses real-world data to improve picking
Apptronik	Apollo humanoid features bespoke linear actuators
Boston Dynamics	Atlas shows off unique skills for humanoid
Brightpick	Autopicker applies mobile manipulation, AI to warehouses
Capra Robotics	Hircus AMR bridges gap between indoor, outdoor logistics
Dexterity	Dexterity stacks robotics and AI for truck loading
Disney	Disney brings beloved characters to life through robotics
Doosan	App-like Dart-Suite eases cobot programming
Electric Sheep	Vertical integration positions landscaping startup for success
Exotec	Skypod ASRS scales to serve automotive supplier
FANUC	FANUC ships one-millionth industrial robot
Figure	Startup builds working humanoid within one year
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics	evoBot features unique mobile manipulator design
Gardarika Tres	Develops de-mining robot for Ukraine
Geek+	Upgrades PopPick goods-to-person system
Glidance	Provides independence to visually impaired individuals
Harvard University	Exoskeleton improves walking for people with Parkinson’s disease
ifm efector	Obstacle Detection System simplifies mobile robot development
igus	ReBeL cobot gets low-cost, human-like hand
Instock	Instock turns fulfillment processes upside down with ASRS
Kodama Systems	Startup uses robotics to prevent wildfires
Kodiak Robotics	Autonomous pickup truck to enhance U.S. military operations
KUKA	Robotic arm leader doubles down on mobile robots for logistics
Locus Robotics	Mobile robot leader surpasses 2 billion picks
MassRobotics Accelerator	Equity-free accelerator positions startups for success
Mecademic	MCS500 SCARA robot accelerates micro-automation
MIT	Robotic ventricle advances understanding of heart disease
Mujin	TruckBot accelerates automated truck unloading
Mushiny	Intelligent 3D sorter ramps up throughput, flexibility
NASA	MOXIE completes historic oxygen-making mission on Mars
Neya Systems	Development of cybersecurity standards harden AGVs
NVIDIA	Nova Carter gives mobile robots all-around sight
Olive Robotics	EdgeROS eases robotics development process
OpenAI	LLMs enable embedded AI to flourish
Opteran	Applies insect intelligence to mobile robot navigation
Renovate Robotics	Rufus robot automates installation of roof shingles
Robel	Automates railway repairs to overcome labor shortage
Robust AI	Carter AMR joins DHL's impressive robotics portfolio
Rockwell Automation	Adds OTTO Motors mobile robots to manufacturing lineup
Sereact	PickGPT harnesses power of generative AI for robotics
Simbe Robotics	Scales inventory robotics deal with BJ’s Wholesale Club
Slip Robotics	Simplifies trailer loading/unloading with heavy-duty AMR
Symbotic	Walmart-backed company rides wave of logistics automation demand
Toyota Research Institute	Builds large behavior models for fast robot teaching
ULC Technologies	Cable Splicing Machine improve safety, power grid reliability
Universal Robots	Cobot leader strengthens lineup with UR30

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Webinar: Get your mobile robots moving with the right motion control

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 21 May 2024 17:57:39 +0000

Motion control has become critical to mobile robot design, says Applied Motion Products. Credit: Gorodenkoff, Adobe Stock

Automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots, or AGVs and AMRs, respectively, are the result of numerous design decisions and tradeoffs. In this free webinar, Applied Motion Products will discuss key factors for mobile robot design, such as performance, safety, and power availability.

Miguel Larios, applications engineer at the company, will explain crucial environmental considerations including IP protection and wheel specifications. He will guide viewers through the essential AGV/AMR specification and feature questions that are critical to ask when selecting the most appropriate motors and gearing for a new system.

Motor selection is increasingly important to include during the design phase because developers, integrators, and users continue to push performance requirements to new levels, according to Larios. He will also explore auxiliary axes for materials handling and jacking axes.

Attendees can learn more about the following in this webinar:

AGV/AMR performance requirements and the impact on motor selection
Powering the motion control in your mobile robot
Safety and environmental considerations around automated systems
How to select wheels based on operational requirements
Auxiliary axis types and motion control solutions

“Get Your AGV/AMR Moving! Motion Control in AGVs and AMRs” will be at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Register now, and ask questions during the live discussion. The webinar will be accessible on demand after the initial broadcast.

About the speakers, Applied Motion Products

Miguel Larios is an applications engineer at Applied Motion Products Inc. and has worked in industrial automation for five years. During that time, he has worked in both sales and engineering roles and has been exposed to many industries implementing automation. Most recently, Larios has started to work in a product management capacity, focusing on AGV/AMR users.

Founded in 1978, Applied Motion Products has been committed to innovation and advancement of motion-control systems, supplying components to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company sponsoring this webinar said it provides motors and drives for applications where precise control of position, speed, and torque is required. They include robotics, machine control, factory automation, semiconductor handling, packaging machines, and medical devices.

Morgan Hill, Calif.-based Applied Motion Products formed a joint venture in 2014 with Moons’ Shanghai to focus on developing cutting-edge technologies. The partners have research and development centers, as well as more than 200 patents for inventions, utility models, appearances, and software copyrights.

Eugene Demaitre is editorial director for robotics at WTWH Media, which produces The Robot Report, Mobile Robot Guide, RoboBusiness, and the Robotics Summit & Expo. He has extensive experience in business-to-business technology journalism and has participated in conferences worldwide, as well as spoken on many webcasts and podcasts. He is always interested in learning more about robotics. Demaitre has a master’s from the George Washington University and lives in the Boston area.

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Syslogic adds RTK capability to AI computer for localization

Mike Oitzman — Sat, 18 May 2024 14:00:53 +0000

Syslogic adds RTK capability to AI computers. | Credit: Syslogic

Syslogic has combined the powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano with its reliable Rugged Computer series to create the Rugged Computer RPC RS A4NA. The unit is equipped with four GMSL2 inputs and is designed to be compatible with GMSL2 cameras and GMSL2 stereo cameras like the Sterolabs ZED-X and Intel RealSense D457 stereo depth camera. The embedded system targets computer vision applications, including autonomous navigation for farm or construction equipment.

In 2023, the company released its first version of rugged computers targeted at field robotics applications.

A purpose-built carrier board has been incorporated into this new generation of Rugged Computer to ensure it meets shock and vibration requirements. To safeguard the electronics from damage caused by moisture, humidity, or dust, the rugged PC is equipped with a housing that includes secure screw-on M12 connectors. The device has a waterproof rating of IP67 ensuring it can survive deployment into agricultural vehicles, excavators, dump trucks, and mining vehicles.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, edge computing is becoming more powerful to support AI processing requirements in the field. Outdoor mobile robot applications require precision, and one of the key localization technologies is RTK (Real-Time Kinematic). While GPS can provide location data accurate up to +/- 2 meter (6 feet), RTK can provide sub-centimeter (sub-inch) accuracy. This is generally sufficient for ag and construction-related use cases.

RTK requires the deployment of an additional signal (local antenna or RTK service) that provides local offsets from the GPS satellite signals so that the individual machines can compensate for any GPS error, and remain localized at all times.

Syslogic leverages the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technology of u-blox to add RTK to the solution. The AI Rugged Computer RS A4NA can now be configured with up to two integrated u-blox receivers. This allows RTK functionality to be implemented without additional hardware. As a further highlight, Syslogic has integrated a heading function. This allows not only the position, but also the rotation angle of a vehicle or machine to be precisely determined.

The Rugged Computer uses u-blox ZED-F9P and -F9H interconnected modules. The F9P is an accurate GNSS receiver that receives positioning data from satellites. In combination with the ZED-F9H and u-blox’s own PointPerfect correction data service, it is possible to determine the angle of rotation and position with an accuracy of up to three centimeters.

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Calian cuts time to market for its Smart Antenna by two-thirds with Point One Navigation

The Robot Report Staff — Sat, 18 May 2024 12:20:23 +0000

Calian’s Smart Antenna is equipped with the Polaris RTK network from Point One. | Source: Point One Navigation

Calian, a longtime provider of accurate and interference-free data from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), has combined its Smart Antenna with Point One Navigation’s Polaris RTK network. The companies said that by offering the two together, Calian can offer high precision in a single, streamlined package.

Calian provides data for various applications, from precision agriculture to autonomous vehicles. No matter how clear the signal is, however, GNSS has its limitations. This means the company needed additional corrections to achieve true precision. With RTK, positioning accuracy can be improved to about one centimeter, said Calian.

It combined its premium antennas with and Point One Navigation’s receivers to create “smart antennas.” These antennas offer more options for achieving precision positioning. Calian claimed that this offers users an all-in-one, real-time positioning system that can provide accurate measurements.

“It’s one thing to work with people who are deploying their own base stations and their own networks, but Point One has a fairly universally available, excellent Network RTK service,” stated Gordon Echlin, director of business development for smart antennas at Calian. “We wanted to be able to tap into that and make that available to our customers for this new smart antenna.”

Point One makes scaling operations easier, Calian says

The companies said that Point One’s technology makes it easier for end users to move or scale operations. Within the U.S., the Polaris network allows customers to move across state lines without having to set up or reconnect to a new network.

Outside of the U.S., Polaris’ built-in local-datum capabilities enable quick conversion to the relevant datum for the end user’s particular location. Point One says that no matter where the customer is located, once it’s established with Polaris, the system automatically works wherever the customer goes within the service area.

Calian said that adding RTK provides extreme accuracy, upholding its core value proposition. This extra layer of connection, however, requires additional integrations and setup, not to mention reliance on a third-party RTK network. If any of those falters, the resulting measurements and user experience will suffer.

“With other solutions, we had to download an encryption key and put it in the antenna. We don’t need to do that with Polaris,” Echlin said. “You just use the NTRIP client, you configure your antenna as a base or a rover, authenticate with Polaris, and you’re working — in minutes.”

Founded in 2016, Point One has over 40,000 active devices per day in 29 countries. It said its positioning API is 100 times more accurate than GPS, and has coverage in the U.S., the EU, the U.K., Australia, South Korea, and more.

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Agility Robotics announces executive moves to strengthen Digit commercialization

The Robot Report Staff — Wed, 15 May 2024 12:00:01 +0000

Digit at the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo. Credit: Eugene Demaitre

Agility Robotics today announced changes to its executive team as it productizes and commercializes its Digit humanoid robot. The company added experienced technology leader Daniel Diez as chief strategy officer.

Agility Robotics also said that Melonee Wise is moving from chief technology officer to the role of chief product officer (CPO). In addition, Pras Velagapudi is stepping into the role of CTO, effective immediately.

“As the only company with a humanoid robot already delivering useful work to customers, Agility is shaping the future of labor,” stated Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics. “Today, we’re strengthening our exceptional leadership team to jump on this massive market opportunity.”

“Daniel brings an outstanding track record of leading business transformation and corporate strategy, and when it comes to deploying fleet-level robotics solutions in logistics and manufacturing operations, Melonee’s and Pras’s technical, product, and commercial experience are unbeatable,” she added. “I’m thrilled to have their expert leadership in these new and expanded roles as we prepare for commercial scale.”

Corvallis, Ore.-based Agility Robotics said its mission is “to build robot partners that augment the human workforce, ultimately enabling humans to be more human.” The company described Digit as a “bipedal mobile manipulation robot” (MMR) and as “the first multi-purpose, human-centric robot that is made for work.” The system has been in trials for logistics tasks at Amazon and GXO Logistics.

Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer of Agility Robotics, delivered a keynote address about the technical challenges of building humanoids at the Robotics Summit & Expo earlier this month. Digit won the inaugural RBR50 Robot of the Year Award.

Wise moves from CTO to chief product officer

Agility Robotics said that, since joining it as CTO in May 2023, Wise has transformed how the company approaches product development as it prepares to bring its products to market at scale. In addition to leading Agility’s engineering and technology efforts, Wise created and led the team that conceived, built, and launched Agility Arc, a cloud platform for deploying and managing fleets of Digits with other automation.

Melonee Wise, chief product officer, Agility Robotics

In the expanded role of CPO, Wise will continue to lead Agility’s engineering team in addition to the newly formed product organization.

Wise has years of experience in the robotics industry. Prior to joining Agility in 2023, she was the vice president of robotics automation at Zebra Technologies. Before that, Wise was CEO of Fetch Robotics until its acquisition by Zebra in 2021.

Previously, Wise was the second employee at Willow Garage, where she led a team of engineers developing next-generation robot hardware and software, including the Robot Operating System (ROS), the PR2, and TurtleBot. Wise serves as a robotics board member for the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Throughout her career, Wise has received many accolades and awards including the MIT Technology Review TR35, Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 2021 Supply Chain Woman of the Year, the 2022 Engelberger Award, and as one of “eight CEOs changing the way we work” by Business Insider.

Wise received a B.S. in mechanical engineering and physics engineering and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.

Velagapudi becomes Agility CTO

“In the year since he joined Agility, Velagapudi has galvanized the company’s AI strategy and shown repeated breakthroughs in using AI to accelerate Digit’s commercial capabilities,” said the company. “As CTO, he will continue to focus on pragmatic product-relevant innovations, operationalizing the company’s research and development efforts, and exploring new technologies, with an emphasis on applying modern and emerging AI to enable commercial scale.”

Pras Velagapudi, CTO, Agility Robotics

Velagapudi has decades of experience in robotics planning and control, as well as in creating and deploying robots into home, industrial, and outdoor environments. Before joining Agility as vice president of innovation and chief architect in 2023, he was a vice president of engineering and chief architect of mobile robotics at Berkshire Grey, deploying fleets of hundreds of robots to logistics applications.

In addition, Velagapudi is co-founder of Platypus, a low-cost Android-based fleet infrastructure for small autonomous robotic boats to collect environmental data on bodies of water. Prior to that, he led electrical systems design and engineering at RedZone Robotics, a subterranean pipe-inspection robot provider.

Velagapudi received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, where he also served as adjunct faculty and project scientist for many years.

Daniel Diez to set go-to-market strategy

As chief strategy officer, Diez is responsible for setting Agility’s overall business and go-to-market strategy, working closely with Johnson, said the company. In this role, he will also lead all marketing and communications efforts to build the company’s reputation and grow awareness and demand for Digit as the company enters its next phase of commercial growth.

Daniel Diez, chief strategy officer, Agility Robotics

Diez joins Agility from Magic Leap, where he led its transformation from a consumer technology startup to an enterprise technology company. He was responsible for the commercial launch of Magic Leap 2.

Most recently, Diez served as chief commercial officer at Magic Leap, overseeing business development, sales, customer experience, ecosystem solutions, developer relations, marketing, brand, communications, public affairs, and government relations. He previously held the roles of chief transformation officer and chief marketing officer at Magic Leap.

Prior to joining Magic Leap, Diez served as chief marketing officer and head of product at Transform Brands, the owner of the Kenmore appliance brand. Before that, he was the global chief marketing officer for R/GA, a global marketing and innovation agency, and he helped lead the company’s transformation from a digital marketing agency to a global advertising and brand transformation powerhouse.

Throughout his career, Diez has been an advocate for corporate citizenship and his passion for creating positive change extends beyond the world of business. He serves on the board of the LGBT Community Center in New York and has previously served as a pro bono marketing and communications consultant for non-profit organizations including the Ad Council and the Human Rights Campaign.

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From the barn to the bar: AI powered robots

The Robot Report Staff — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 00:12:26 +0000

The Robot Report Podcast · From the barn to the bar: AI powered robots

In this episode, we talk to Matt Casella from Richtech Robotics about the Adam bartending robot, and then to Chris Padwick from John Deere about creating vision models for spraying weeds in the field.

Both interviews occurred during NVIDIA’s GTC event last month, and both companies use NVIDIA technology in their AI-powered robots.

Show timeline

23:54: Interview with Matt Casella, President of Richtech Robotics
44:14: Interview with Chris Padwick, director of machine vision learning, from John Deere Autonomous Solutions

News from this week

Boston Dynamics unveils electric Atlas humanoid robot

On Tuesday, Boston Dynamics retired the previous version of Atlas after about 15 years of development. It paved the way for numerous other humanoid robots.

As you have probably seen on YouTube, Atlas was surprisingly agile, given its hydraulics and bulk. In fact, Atlas won an RBR50 award for its demonstration of running and delivering tools at a simulated construction site at the company’s headquarters in Waltham, Mass.

At the same time, the company has not been shy about showing the many falls and missteps on the way to increasingly robust locomotion and dexterous manipulation.

On Wednesday, Boston Dynamics announced a new, all-electric version intended for eventual commercial use.

Mentee Robotics decloaks with its own AI-powered humanoid

Perhaps overshadowed by Boston Dynamics’ announcement the same day, Mentee Robotics came out of stealth and unveiled its first bipedal humanoid robot prototype. A team with experience in machine, computer vision, and other fields founded the Herzliya, Israel-based company in 2022.

Mentee Robotics said its AI-powered robot will understand natural-language commands and be based on a simulation-to-reality model. The company acknowledged that more work is to be done and said it is aiming for the household and warehouse markets. Like Boston Dynamics, it is aiming to have more robots to show in 2025.

Locus Robotics surpasses 3B picks mere months after last milestone

Locus Robotics Corp. this week said it has surpassed 3 billion total picks across its global customer deployments. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company reached this milestone just 33 weeks after it recorded its 2 billionth pick.

Locus claimed that the achievement underscores its continued rapid growth and solidifies its position as a leader in AI-powered robots for the warehouse.

California committee passes AV ban

On Wednesday, the California Senate Committee on Local Government passed legislation allowing local municipalities to ban and tax autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment.

Last year was one of California’s deadliest for roadway fatalities, largely because of human behaviors including distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding. The legislation by Sen. Dave Cortese takes control away from state-level agencies like the DMV and California Public Utilities Commission, which have approved the rollout of AVs.

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Electric Sheep wins 2024 RBR50 Startup of the Year

The Robot Report Staff — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:46:02 +0000

Electric Sheep is vertically integrating its field operations team with autonomous mowers. | Credit: Electric Sheep

This year, the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards added new categories: Application of the Year, Startup of the Year, and Robot of the Year. We received numerous submissions for some incredible startups innovating in some interesting markets. The Robot Report‘s team chose autonomous landscaping company Electric Sheep Robotics as the inaugural RBR50 Startup of the Year.

The San Francisco-based company has a novel business plan that is immediately bringing in revenue while it takes its time to evolve the underlying technology. This is different from many robotics businesses, which simply sell or lease systems to integrators and end users.

“We are honored to be recognized by WTWH Media’s Robotics Group with this inaugural award. I want to also acknowledge our dedicated team at Electric Sheep that are passionate about creating the most advanced robotics that can change an often overlooked industry,” stated Nag Murty, co-founder and CEO of Electric Sheep. “We are doing things differently than other robotic companies by using AI and ML at a higher level for localization and high-level control. We are scaling physical agents across the country to care for our outdoor spaces.”

Founded in 2019, Electric Sheep has grown to over 100 employees, and it has raised more than $25 million in funding to date, according to Crunchbase.

You can also learn more about Murty’s entrepreneurial philosophy and Chief Technology Officer Michael Laskey’s design principles on a recent episode of The Robot Report Podcast.

Acquisitions add data for autonomy AI

Electric Sheep develops autonomous robots for outdoor maintenance. Its flagship robot is an autonomous mower backed by the company’s ES1 foundation model.

Based on recent advances in generative AI, ES1 is a learned-world model that enables reasoning and planning for the Verdie robot. ES1 powers both the RAM robot for mowing and now Verdie for edging and trimming lawns and bushes and blowing leaves.

In addition, Electric Sheep acquired four landscaping companies last year and said that this is a key part of its long-term plan. This strategy isn’t just about revenue. The businesses it acquires can also use ES1 and provide crucial data to make the model more effective.

This information can help improve Electric Sheep’s operations, enabling its robots to start working as soon as they arrive at a job site.

Since taking this two-pronged approach to development and business, the company reported that its sales have grown eightfold. Electric Sheep has set itself apart from other startups by making sure it always has money coming in and by finding a unique way to get important data about its business.

Meet Electric Sheep at the Robotics Summit & Expo

This year’s RBR50 award winners will be celebrated at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which will be on May 1 and 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Electric Sheep will be demonstrate its newest robot powered by ES1, Verdie, the RBR50 showcase on the expo floor.

Attendees at the 2024 Robotics Summit and Expo at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will have an opportunity to meet members of Electric Sheep’s executive team. Co-founder and CEO Nag Murty will present a session titled “Startup Survival Guide to Lean Times” at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 2.

Murty will be joined by Oliver Mitchell, partner of ff Venture Capital; Fiona O’Donnell McCarthy, principal of True Ventures; and Steve Crowe, executive editor of robotics at WTWH Media. This panel will share tips from experienced investors and robotics companies on what they’re looking for and attendees will learn how organizations can navigate the challenging path to commercialization.

In addition, tickets are available for the first RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala, which will be at the end of Day 1 of the event. The Robotics Summit & Expo will be the biggest yet, with keynotes and sessions from leading companies, more than 200 exhibitors, up to 5,000 attendees, a Women in Robotics Breakfast, and a Robotics Engineering Career Fair.

Co-located events include DeviceTalks Boston, which focuses on medical devices, and the inaugural Digital Transformation Forum. which will focus on manufacturing. Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit.

The post Electric Sheep wins 2024 RBR50 Startup of the Year appeared first on The Robot Report.

Autopicker wins 2024 RBR50 Application of the Year for Brightpick

The Robot Report Staff — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:50:57 +0000

Two Autopicker mobile manipulators in a warehouse aisle. Source: Brightpick

This year, the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards added new categories: Application of the Year, Startup of the Year, and Robot of the Year. We received numerous submissions, but the Autopicker system from Brightpick stood out for automating both mobile manipulation and each picking.

Other robots combining mobility with manipulation have come and gone, from Fetch and Freight to Swift, in part because getting to commercially viable levels of reliability has been challenging. Not only has Autopicker added newer artificial intelligence to the mix, but it has also been deployed in existing customer warehouses.

“On the AI side, this was not possible five to six years ago,” Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Brightpick, told The Robot Report. “Serious breakthroughs enable machine learning to generalize to unseen items.”

Autopicker learns with each pick

Autopicker combines a mobile base, a robotic arm, machine vision, and AI for e-commerce order fulfillment. The system reduces the need for warehouse associates to travel with carts, thanks to its patented design, which enables it to pick items from standard shelving and place them in either of two totes.

Brightpick said Autopicker can pick groceries, cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, apparel, and more with 99.9% accuracy. Its AI algorithms have been trained on more than 500 million picks to date, and they are improving with each pick, added the company.

Announced in February 2023, the system also supports pallet picking, replenishment, dynamic slotting, buffering, and dispatch. It can store up to 50,000 SKUs, said Brightpick. It also offers a goods-to-person option for heavy or hard-to-pick items, and Autopicker can raise its bins to waist height for ergonomic picking.

In the past year, customers such as Netrush and Rohlik Group began deploying the company’s latest system. Autopicker is available for direct purchase or through a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model.

See Brightpick at the Robotics Summit & Expo

Cincinnati-based Brightpick is a unit of Bratislava, Slovakia-based machine vision provider Photoneo s.r.o. The company said its systems can “enable warehouses of any size to fully automate order picking, consolidation, dispatch, and stock replenishment.”

Brightpick, which has more than 200 employees, claimed that its robots take only weeks to deploy and can reduce labor assigned to picking by 98% and picking costs by half. In January 2023, the company raised $19 million in Series B funding for its U.S. expansion, and it said demand for Autopicker has been strong.

This year’s RBR50 award winners will be celebrated at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which will be on May 1 and 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Brightpick will be part of the RBR50 showcase on the expo floor.

The post Autopicker wins 2024 RBR50 Application of the Year for Brightpick appeared first on The Robot Report.

Kiwibot acquires AUTO to strengthen delivery robot security

Eugene Demaitre — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:00:54 +0000

Kiwibot will add intellectual property from AUTO Mobility Solutions to its delivery robot portfolio. Source: Kiwibot

Consolidation among mobile robot providers is not limited to warehouses. Kiwibot today announced that it has acquired AUTO Mobility Solutions Co.

“This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in both companies’ journeys towards innovation and safeguarding privacy in the robotics industry, particularly for intelligent robots sourced from China and deployed in the Western markets,” Kiwibot stated.

“The acquisition of AUTO is a game-changer for us, bringing a wealth of technological innovation and a strong patent portfolio that will significantly enhance our cybersecurity measures for AI-powered robotics,” asserted Felipe Chavez, founder and CEO of Kiwibot. “This move not only strengthens our position in the market, but also connects the manufacturing expertise from Asia with the AI development in the West securely.”

Kiwibot develops delivery robots

Berkeley, Calif.-based Kiwibot has developed autonomous robots using artificial intelligence. The company claimed that it is a market leader of robotic deliveries on U.S. college campuses.

Since 2017, Kiwibot said it has successfully deployed robots across the U.S., Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. In 2020, it raised pre-seed funding and was an early guest on The Robot Report Podcast. It raised $10 million for deliveries as a service (DaaS) in December 2023.

“Kiwibot is actively exploring opportunities to expand our robotic delivery services beyond college campuses,” Chavez told The Robot Report. “We will soon announce customers in two different categories.”

AUTO brings cybersecurity expertise

“Becoming a part of Kiwibot opens up new avenues for our technologies and patents,” noted Sming Liao, CEO of AUTO Mobility Solutions. “Together, we are poised to redefine the landscape of autonomous delivery services, ensuring greater security and efficiency.”

The Taipei, Taiwan-based company was incubated by ALi Corp. and develops integrated circuit (IC) chips for AI, self-driving vehicles, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cybersecurity. Its systems feature advanced path planning, positioning, and obstacle-avoidance technology.

AUTO Mobility Solutions has built a patent portfolio in AI, IoT, and cybersecurity in Taipei. Source: Kiwibot

AUTO said its team will add more than 100 licensed patents to Kiwibot’s offerings.

“Our decision to join forces was solidified after recognizing the complementary nature of our technologies and the potential for a synergistic relationship,” said Chavez. “One of our investors from Taiwan introduced us, and we started the relationship as a customer for a custom cybersecurity chip.”

“The acquisition strategically positions us to bolster our cybersecurity infrastructure, especially considering the rising interest in AI and its associated vulnerabilities,” he added. “Together, Kiwibot and AUTO are looking to develop enhanced capabilities in autonomous navigation, AI-powered decision making, and advanced cybersecurity measures.”

Acquisition to expand global presence

The companies also said the acquisition will help the merged entity deliver leading systems globally and meet the evolving needs of both businesses and consumers.

“AUTO’s established presence in Taiwan and Shenzhen [China] will play a crucial role in helping Kiwibot navigate geopolitical and supply chain challenges,” explained Chavez. “Their expertise and strategic locations will aid in diversifying our supply chain and providing stability in our manufacturing and development processes, ensuring Kiwibot’s continued growth and scalability.”

Felipe Chavez, CEO of Kiwibot (left), and Sming Liao, CEO of AUTO (right). Source: Kiwibot

Kiwibot is still evaluating consolidation and rebranding, he told The Robot Report.

“The Taipei team will maintain a high degree of autonomy to leverage their specialized expertise and local knowledge effectively. While we are unified in our mission and strategy, we recognize the importance of fostering innovation through autonomous operations,” Chavez said. “We are currently evaluating how best to integrate our brands to reflect our unified strength while honoring the established identity and contributions of AUTO’s team.”

What are Kiwibot’s plans for the near future?

“Looking forward, Kiwibot’s roadmap includes the continuous improvement of our autonomous delivery robots, the expansion of our service areas, and the integration of AUTO’s technological advancement,” Chavez replied. “We are committed to pioneering the future of robotic services and ensuring a seamless and secure experience for our users. Stay tuned for exciting updates as we progress on this journey.”

The post Kiwibot acquires AUTO to strengthen delivery robot security appeared first on The Robot Report.

OmniOn looks to power, network next-gen delivery robots

Eugene Demaitre — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 14:13:19 +0000

OmniOn supports multiple technologies, including robotics. Click here to enlarge. Source: OmniOn Power

As delivery robots and autonomous vehicles spread, much of the design and development attention has focused on safe navigation and obstacle detection, according to OmniOn Power Inc. However, they will also require reliable charging and communications infrastructure, it said.

“We’ve mainly seen mobile robots indoors in factories, warehouses, or even restaurants,” said Gopal Mitra, global segment leader for industrials at OmniOn. “2023 was a big year for cost optimization for robotics companies. They tried to address space challenges and labor shortages in e-commerce, and power supply for delivery robots outdoors is another real challenge.”

“We look at three basic technologies: cloud and edge computing, which need to be supported by 5G, and power,” he told The Robot Report. “OmniOn Power addresses high-voltage DC, outdoor installations, and products for onboard robotics, including mounted power that should be able to work with fluctuating voltages as batteries deplete.”

OmniOn spun out of ABB

Formerly known as ABB Power Conversion, AcBel Polytech Inc. acquired the division in July 2023 and renamed it OmniOn Power Inc. in October.

The Plano, Texas-based company gained telecommunications experience as a part of Bell Labs and was part of General Electric Co. and ABB Ltd. OmniOn claimed that its “reliable products, industry expertise, and partnerships are helping customers realize the full potential of 5G, supporting expansive data center demands, [and] powering Industry 4.0.”

“Our business has grown in the robotics space, partly because of the lack of innovation as a lot of folks focused on scaling up rather than introducing new designs,” Mitra said. “Channels are trying to adopt the right robots for ‘order online, pick up at store,’ direct fulfillment, and warehouses. The increasing amount of returns is also a big concern, and we’re addressing a $500 million portion of the total addressable market by optimizing for the cost of development and implementation.”

Power innovations to enable autonomy

Batteries add weight to robots and drones, and they can be affected by extreme cold. OmniOn said that more innovation is needed.

“There are two schools of thought for batteries — they could be long-lasting, or you can go with capacitors,” said Mitra. “As for the environment, there’s the harmonics on the grid and temperature, which can be up to 120 to 130 degrees [Fahrenheit; 48.8 to 54.4 Celsius] in places like Dallas.”

“Cold is more of an issue on the battery side than the internals, where the 2% heat generated is usually enough to keep power electronics warm,” he added. “We’re looking at the optimal time to charge, as well as discharge and weight.”

“There have been a number of innovations in batteries,” Mitra noted. “Lithium-ion is very popular in robotics and electric vehicles, and sodium-ion and other polymers are being explored. How U.S. investment in the semiconductor industry responds to China’s prevalence will also affect innovation in the next 10 years. Some are now looking at vertical stacking for denser chips.”

“OmniOn already has engineers working on providing power supplies to telecom and 5G networks,” he said. “We’re enablers of autonomy.”

OmniOn is working on providing power and connectivity to delivery and warehouse robots. Source: Adobe Stock

Other considerations for robotics

Ways to increase robot uptime include hot-swappable batteries, software that directs opportunistic recharging, and persistent wired or wireless charging on embedded grids, mostly indoors.

“Cost is a big deal — wireless charging is usually near-field using inductive charging, which is very attractive for many robots but can be expensive,” said Mitra. “With contact-based charging, you don’t need a converter circuit onboard the robot.”

By contrast, farming equipment or robotic lawnmowers can have wireless docking, eliminating the risk of clippings getting into contacts, he said. Wireless charging pads throughout a warehouse or factory have a high installation cost but can reduce the weight of batteries and operational costs. All of these options require industry consensus to become more widespread, Mitra observed.

How much can fleet management software help with power?

“It depends on the type of fleet,” replied Mitra. “We’re maturing simple routing within the constraints of restaurants, but delivery robots and vehicles have variable package loads. On the software side, we’ll see the impact of artificial intelligence on warehouse management, from machine vision to order processing.”

Mitra also said that distributed power generation from photovoltaic cells could change the cost of energy.

“There are lots of opportunities to improve overall efficiency, but it’s a chicken-and-egg problem — first, the application has to come,” he said. “In hardware, non-isolated board-mounted products are emerging.”

5G to play a role as edge/cloud computing shifts

“For delivery robots, most of the compute is onboard, with nearby 5G hubs enabling mesh networks,” Mitra explained. “Edge computing needs to be supported by a 5G backbone, and peer-to-peer networks can manage the load.”

While robots and autonomous vehicles (AVs) need onboard processing for a spatial understanding of their environments and to navigate complex surroundings, the delivery function and reporting would benefit from 5G, he said.

“Look at certain regions in San Francisco — AVs are limited to certain areas, where the routes are largely pre-programmed,” said Mitra. “Once we see a prevalence of 5G and edge computing, machine learning for transport will be more scalable.”

“We have an engagement with a robotics company working with a major retailer on managing inventory and goods-to-person materials handling in the warehouse. Multi-tenant warehouses are coming,” Mitra said. “In addition to automated storage and retrieval systems [ASRS], we’re looking at multi-robot scenarios in the parking lot for groceries.”

The BPS 48V stackable power system is designed for 5G systems. Source: OmniOn

AI, humanoids could create new demands

Growing interest in applying generative AI to robotics will also affect networking and power demands.

“They’re not talked about yet in the context of on-premise or edge computing, but it will be interesting to see if delivery robots get these capabilities,” Mitra said. “AI has helped industry understand the need for high-performance computing, which has put a lot of pressure on power-supply manufacturers for smaller, more efficient systems.”

Similarly, interest in mobile manipulation and the humanoid form factor will also intensify pressure on compute and power management.

“Even if you just put an articulated robot arm on a mobile base, stepper motors require eight times the current to start, just to change from static to movement,” said Mitra.

“We still don’t have a good solution for batteries that can support humanoids for the long term,” he asserted. “They’ll also need a power train that can handle a wide range of discharge, from walking to the necessary strength for lifting boxes.”

OmniOn said it expects the demand for delivery robots, automated warehouses, and connected infrastructure to grow at 12% to 14%. Power management may not be standardized, depending on the size of a robot and its number of sensors, and edge/cloud computing and different charging approaches will continue to evolve, said Mitra.

“We’re excited see how wireless charging affects the robotics space,” he said. “While the cost has led to different adoption than initially expected, in the long term, the cost of infrastructure could be lower, and it could be more easily managed.”

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