A company that develops self-driving industrial vehicles for material handling called Seegrid has closed a $25 million growth equity investment from venture capital firm G2VP.
According to Seegrid, the investment, which reflects a multi-hundred million dollar valuation, will help the company further capitalize on its position as a market leader in the automated guided vehicle (AGV) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) industry.
Business Solutions
Business Solutions
Milrem Robotics to deliver two UGVs to UK's Defense Science and Technology Laboratory
Milrem Robotics has announced that it will deliver two UGVs to the United Kingdom’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
With a goal of maximizing the impact of science and technology for the defense and security of the UK, DSTL is acquiring the UGVs to explore the capabilities and limitations of this technology in a variety of areas such as mobility, vulnerabilities and safety.
“The United Kingdom has a clear view on the importance of robotics on the battlefield and its impact on defense capabilities,” says Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.
Huntington Ingalls Industries closes acquisition of Hydroid Inc.
On Thursday, March 26, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that it had closed its acquisition of Hydroid Inc. HII says that the acquisition expands its capabilities in the “strategically important and rapidly growing” autonomous and unmanned maritime systems market.
Hydroid will become part of HII’s Technical Solutions Unmanned Systems business unit, which now includes UUVs such as the Orca extra-large UUV. The addition of Hydroid expands HII’s capabilities in the medium and small UUV space, with the inclusion of vehicles such as the REMUS and Seaglider AUVs, as well as marine robots.
From Unmanned Systems magazine: From hobby to business: Creating a business map for new drone companies
The drone market of today is well over 40-years old, and yet it still feels a little like the wild, wild west in 2020. Why? What is collectively missing? What will get the drone market to the next level?
The answer: Stop acting like a bunch of technicians in love with products and start acting like business owners in love with customers. How do we correct this misguidance? By creating a business map; one for our business; and one for our overarching drone market with the help of AUVSI.
Mapping the business
Diligent Robotics announces $10 million series A investment
Artificial intelligence company Diligent Robotics has announced that it has raised a $10 million series A investment.
Known for its hospital robot assistant called Moxi, Diligent Robotics launched in 2017 and since its launch, it has worked alongside hundreds of nurses to understand their work, and ultimately help them redesign workflows to incorporate Moxi.
“Seeing the passion and humanity that nurses bring to their job has become the most inspiring part of our work. Every member of our team feels proud that we get to build something that makes a difference for nurses, because they are just amazing people,” Diligent Robotics says.
Draganfly to distribute AeroVironment's Quantix Mapper UAS to commercial markets globally
Draganfly will distribute AeroVironment’s Quantix Mapper drones to commercial markets across the world after the two companies announced a teaming agreement on Tuesday, March 17.
Described as a “simple to use” drone that empowers users through its fully-automated operation and instant insight, Quantix Mapper features a hybrid design that allows the aircraft to launch vertically and transition to horizontal flight, which maximizes aerodynamic efficiency and range.
High resolution imagery can be viewed immediately by users on the included Operating Tablet without the need for other devices, internet or additional software. Users can quickly and safely generate up-to-date maps for infield assessment with just the touch of a button.
AFIMSC innovation project utilizing UAS and machine learning receives SBIR award from Air Force
On Thursday, March 12, an Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC) innovation project received a $3 million Small Business Innovation Research program award from the Air Force.
Through the project, drones and machine learning are used to revolutionize how the Air Force Civil Engineer Center collects data for its environmental mission. The drone project was one of the first innovation initiatives that the innovation office pursued after it was established in Nov. 2018.
Australian startup developing autonomous EV that generates energy requirements from the sun
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)—on behalf of the Australian Government—has awarded Australian startup Applied Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd (AEV) $2 million in funding to develop an autonomous electric vehicle (EV) that will utilize a solar photovoltaic (PV) roof and lithium ion battery system.
ARENA’s funding will go towards solving energy related challenges such as selecting the most appropriate solar PV technology for the solar roof, and optimizing the mass, energy efficiency, solar gain and safety of the vehicle.
iXblue, ThayerMahan partner to provide unmanned maritime and survey services
Through their new partnership, maritime technology company ThayerMahan Inc. and global high-tech company iXblue will use iXblue’s DriX USV to provide unmanned maritime and survey services in North America, as well as in other parts of the world.
The companies will leverage their respective strengths to address a wide range of maritime and survey applications including, but not limited to, Oil & Gas, ISR, and monitoring and tracking operations. ThayerMahan has a “far-reaching expertise” in maritime domain awareness, while iXblue’s USV is multi-purpose and cost-effective.
Brain Corp, Dane Technologies partner to develop and test autonomous material delivery robots
Brain Corp is partnering with power assist technologies designer and manufacturer Dane Technologies to manufacture autonomous material delivery robots that can be used in public and commercial applications.
Dane Technologies will license Brain Corp’s cloud-connected operating system for commercial autonomous robots, BrainOS, and begin building the delivery robots in Q2 2020. Brain Corp and Dane Technologies plan to pilot the robots with several major retailers this spring.