Defense / Security Archives - The Robot Report

AMD releases Versal Gen 2 to improve support for embedded AI, edge processing

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 08:15:20 +0000

The AMD Versal AI Edge and Prime Gen 2 are next-gen SoCs. Source: Advanced Micro Devices

To enable more artificial intelligence on edge devices such as robots, hardware vendors are adding to their processor portfolios. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. today announced the expansion of its adaptive system on chip, or SoC, line with the new AMD Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 and Versal Prime Series Gen 2.

“The demand for AI-enabled embedded applications is exploding and driving the need for solutions that bring together multiple compute engines on a single chip for the most efficient end-to-end acceleration within the power and area constraints of embedded systems,” stated Salil Raje, senior vice president and general of the Adaptive and Embedded Computing Group at AMD.

“Based on over 40 years of adaptive computing leadership in high-security, high-reliability, long-lifecycle, and safety-critical applications, these latest-generation Versal devices offer high compute efficiency and performance on a single architecture that scales from the low end to high end,” he added.

For more than 50 years, AMD said it has been a leading innovator in high-performance computing (HPC), graphics, and visualization technologies. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company noted that billions of people, Fortune 500 businesses, and scientific research institutions worldwide rely on its technology daily.

Versal Gen 2 addresses three phases of accelerated AI

Advanced Micro Devices said the Gen 2 systems put preprocessing, AI inference, and postprocessing on a single device to deliver accelerated AI. This provides the optimal mix for accelerated AI meet the complex processing needs of real-world embedded systems, it asserted.

Preprocessing: The new systems include FPGA (field-programmable gate array) logic fabric for real-time preprocessing; flexible connections to a wide range of sensors; and implementation of high-throughput, low-latency data-processing pipelines.
AI inference: AMD said it provides an array of vector processes in the form of next-generation AI Engines for efficient inference.
Postprocessing: Arm CPU cores provide the power needed for complex decision-making and control for safety-critical applications, said AMD.

“This single-chip intelligence can eliminate the need to build multi-chip processing solutions, resulting in smaller, more efficient embedded AI systems with the potential for shorter time to market,” the company said.

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AMD builds to maximize power and compute

AMD said its latest systems offer up to 10x more scalar compute compared with the first generation, so the devices can more efficiently handle sensor processing and complex scalar workloads. The Versal Prime Gen 2 devices include new hard IP for high-throughput video processing, including up to 8K multi-channel worflows.

This makes the scalable portfolio suitable for applications such as ultra-high-definition (UHD) video streaming and recording, industrial PCs, and flight computers, according to the company.

In addition, the new SoCs include new AI Engines that AMD claimed will deliver three times the TOPS (trillions of operations per second) per watt than the first-generation Versal AI Edge Series devices.

“Balancing performance, power, [and] area, together with advanced functional safety and security, Versal Series Gen 2 devices deliver new capabilities and features,” said AMD. It added that they “enable the design of high-performance, edge-optimized products for the automotive, aerospace and defense, industrial, vision, healthcare, broadcast, and pro AV [autonomous vehicle] markets.”

“Single-chip intelligence for embedded systems will enable pervasive AI, including robotics … smart city, cloud and AI, and the digital home,” said Manuel Uhm, director for Versal marketing at AMD, in a press briefing. “All will need to be accelerated.”

The Versal Prime Gen 2 is designed for high-throughput applications such as video processing. Source: AMD

Versal powers Subaru’s ADAS vision system

Subaru Corp. is using AMD’s adaptive SoC technology in current vehicles equipped with its EyeSight advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). EyeSight is integrated into certain car models to enable advanced safety features including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and pre-collision braking.

“Subaru has selected Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 to deliver the next generation of automotive AI performance and safety for future EyeSight-equipped vehicles,” said Satoshi Katahira. He is general manager of the Advanced Integration System Department and ADAS Development Department, Engineering Division, at Subaru.

“Versal AI Edge Gen 2 devices are designed to provide the AI inference performance, ultra-low latency, and functional safety capabilities required to put cutting-edge AI-based safety features in the hands of drivers,” he added.

Vivado and Vitis part of developer toolkits

AMD said its Vivado Design Suite tools and libraries can help boost productivity and streamline hardware design cycles, offering fast compile times and enhanced-quality results. The company said the Vitis Unified Software Platform “enables embedded software, signal processing, and AI design development at users’ preferred levels of abstraction, with no FPGA experience needed.”

Earlier this year, AMD released the Embedded+ architecture for accelerated edge AI, as well as the Spartan UltraScale+ FPGA family for edge processing.

Early-access documentation for Versal Series Gen 2 is now available, along with first-generation Versal evaluation kits and design tools. AMD said it expects Gen 2 silicon samples to be available in the first half of 2025, followed by evaluation kits and system-on-modules samples in mid-2025, and production silicon in late 2025.

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Robotics innovation is key to reshoring the $1T apparel manufacturing industry

The ARM Institute — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 12:00:31 +0000

Sewing machines were controlled via ROS to synchronized apparel operation with a robot. | Source: ARM Institute

A staggering 97% of the apparel sold and worn in the U.S. is made overseas, according to the American Apparel & Footwear Association. Not only does this mean that the U.S. lost these jobs when apparel manufacturing moved overseas, but it poses a significant risk to our national security, as evidenced by the nation’s struggle to manufacture and obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PPE was rationed for medical professionals in 2020, but even that wasn’t enough. Images went viral of doctors and nurses fashioning their own masks or re-wearing dirty PPE.

Though the pandemic images of PPE scarcity may have faded from recent memory, the security risk remains. Our nation’s inability to produce PPE has implications for natural disasters. In addition, the lack of onshore apparel manufacturing limits our ability to manufacture military uniforms, tents, parachutes, and other supplies needed to support the U.S. military.

Beyond national security, losing the apparel industry to offshore manufacturing also became a lost business opportunity. According to a Manufacturing Perception Report from the Thomas Network, 61% of Americans surveyed claimed they’re more likely to buy products if they are labeled as being made in the U.S. That’s a significant opportunity, particularly when you’re looking at a trillion-dollar industry.

So, what now? How do we begin to re-shore such a massive industry that has now long since been lost to competing nations? The ARM Institute and its members said they believe that the key lies within robotics and automation.

Robotics as an enabler for reshoring

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ARM Institute and its member organizations recognized that robotics and AI could be the key to reshoring this industry. Once it realized the need, the institute began funding projects centered on automating the more manual and tedious aspects of apparel manufacturing.

However, this was no small feat. To start, when the industry has looked at automation in the past, it was unable to overcome the difficulties in getting robots to manipulate and handle pliable materials. The ARM Institute-funded Robotic Assembly of Garments Project led by Siemens Technology with Bluewater Defense, Sewbo, and the University of California at Berkeley took an important step in overcoming this barrier.

This project developed a new robotic assembly process that stiffens garment pieces by laminating its fabric with water-soluble thermoplastic polymer, allowing the robot to handle the previously limp fabric. It then developed a flexible robotic system to assemble fabric pieces into garments.

Traditional sewing machines were controlled via the Robot Operating System (ROS) to synchronize operation with the robot. The polymer used in the stiffening process is easily removed through washing and can be recycled for multiple process cycles.

Development didn’t stop there. While the garments project took a huge step towards proving the viability of robotics in clothing manufacturing, it had a higher cycle time than current manual processes.

More ARM Institute projects

This project led to other development. Subsequent projects took lessons from prior ones and improved processes, further demonstrating not only the viability for using robotics for apparel manufacturing, but also the importance of doing so.

More ARM Institute projects centered on robotic sewing have included:

The U.S Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funded the Rapid-Response Automated PPE Production in Shipping Containers project through an American Rescue Act Grant. This enabled the ARM Institute to work with fellow Manufacturing USA Institute AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America) and several of its members to scale their projects and use in-house engineering expertise.

Work on this project is under way toward the creation of shipping containers housing robotic production that can easily be deployed where and when PPE is needed.

Momentum for apparel automation continues

While these projects have catalyzed the foundational robotics advancements needed to make apparel manufacturing safer and more productive, continued collaboration between industry, government, and academia is needed to build on this momentum.

The ARM Institute is dedicated to making this possible. The Manufacturing of Garments and Other Textile Goods will be included as a special topic area in the ARM Institute’s upcoming Technology Project Call.

Beyond impact for consumer goods and national security, reshoring apparel manufacturing also represents opportunity for the U.S. workforce. While offshore operations today depend on manual, ergonomically unfriendly processes in cramped, often dirty settings, the use of robots will make roles in these factories safer, more engaging, and higher-paying.

While robots take on the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks, human labor can be freed up to work on operating robots and planning robotics integration. Many of these roles will be available through flexible, low-cost training. These are roles that don’t currently exist in the U.S., resulting in increased employment opportunities for U.S. workers.

The ability to re-shore apparel manufacturing is well within reach, and the ARM Institute is dedicated to working with its members to lead this effort through robotics innovations.

Editor’s notes: This article was syndicated from The Robot Report‘s sibling site Engineering.com.

Dr. Larry Sweet, director of engineering at the ARM Institute, will present a session on “Delivering AI and Machine Learning Enabled Robotics to the Manufacturing and Field Service Operations” at the Robotics Summit & Expo. It will be at 2:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 1, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Sweet will share updates on current ARM Institute projects, technical approaches, best practices, and lessons learned. He will also describe steps to make advanced technology more accessible to manufacturers of all sizes and to facilitate the work of systems integrators. Register now for the event.

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Locus Lock promises to protect autonomous systems from GPS spoofing

Oliver Mitchell — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:21:58 +0000

Locus Lock is designing RF systems to provide navigational security. Source: Locus Lock

Flying back from Miami last week, I put my life in the hands of two strangers, just because they wore gold epaulets. These commercial pilots, in turn, trusted their onboard computers to safely navigate the passengers home. The computers accessed satellite data from the Global Positioning System to set the course.

This chain of command is very fragile. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported last month an increased level of GPS spoofing and signal jamming since the outbreak of the wars in Ukraine and Israel. This poses the threat of catastrophe to aviators everywhere.

For example, last September, OPS Group reported that a European flight en route to Dubai almost entered into Iranian airspace without clearance. In 2020, Iran shot down an uncleared passenger aircraft that entered its territory. This has made the major airlines, avionics manufacturers, and NATO militaries and governments scramble to find solutions.

Navigational errors can be very dangerous for commercial aircraft. Source: OPS Group

Locus Lock founder came out of drone R&D

At ff Venture Capital, we recognize that GPS spoofing and jamming are fundamental problems for aerial, terrestrial, and marine autonomous systems in moving the industry forward. This investment thesis is grounded on a simple belief that the deployment of cost-effective uncrewed systems requires the trust of human operators who can’t afford to question the data.

When machines go awry, so does the industry. Just ask Cruise! This conviction led us to invest in Locus Lock. The company said it is taking an innovative software approach to GNSS signal processing using radio frequency, at a fraction of the cost of comparable hardware sold by military contractors.

Last week, I sat down with Locus Lock founder Hailey Nichols, a former University of Texas researcher in the school’s Radionavigation Laboratory. UT’s Lab is best known for its work with SpaceX and Starlink.

Nichols explained her transition from academic to founder: “I was always enthralled with the idea of aerospace and studied at MIT, where I was obsessed with the control and robotic side of aerospace. After I graduated, I worked at Aurora Flight Sciences, which is a subsidiary of Boeing, and I was a UAV software engineer.”

At Aurora, Nichols focused on integrating suites of sensors such as lidar, GPS, radar, and computer vision for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, she quickly became frustrated with the costs and quality of the sensors.

“They were physically heavy [and] power-intensive, and it made it quite hard for engineers to integrate,” she recalled. “This problem frustrated me so much that I went back to grad school to study it further, and I joined a lab down at the University of Texas.”

In Austin, the roboticist saw a different approach to sensor data, using software for signal processing.

“The radio navigation lab was very highly specialized in signal processing, specifically bringing in advanced software algorithms and robust estimation techniques forward to sensor technology,” explained Nichols. “This enabled more precise, secure, and reliable data, like positioning, navigation, and timing.”

Her epiphany came when she saw the market demand for the lab’s GNSS receiver from the U.S. Department of Defense and commercial partners after Locus Lock published research on autonomous vehicles accurately navigating urban canyons.

Navigating urban canyons is a challenge for conventional satellite-based systems. Source: Quora

Reliable navigation needed for dual-use applications

Today, Locus Lock is ready to market its product more widely for dual-use applications across the spectrum of autonomy for commercial and defense use cases.

“Current GPS receivers often fail in what’s called ‘urban multipath,'” said Nichols. “This is where there’s building interference and shrouding of the sky can cause positioning errors. This can be problematic for autonomous cars, drones, and outdoor robotics that need access to centimeter-level positioning to make safe and informed decisions about where they are on the road or in the sky.”

The RF engineer continued: “Our other applicable industry is defense tech. With the rise of the Ukraine conflict and the Israel conflict in the Middle East, we’ve seen a massive amount of deliberate interference. So bad actors that are either spoofing or jamming, causing major outages or disruptions in GPS positioning.”

Locus Lock addresses this problem by enabling its GPS processing suite as a software solution, and unlike hardware, it’s affordable and extremely flexible.

“The ability to be backward-compatible and future-proof where we can constantly update and evolve our GPS processing suite to evolving attack vectors ensures that our customers are given the most cutting-edge and up-to-date processing techniques to enable centimeter-level positioning globally,” added Nichols.

“So our GNSS receivers are software-defined radio [SDR] with a specialized variant of inertially aided RTK [real-time kinematics],” she said, claiming that it provides a differentiator from competing products. “What that means is we’re doing some advanced sensor-fusion techniques with GNSS signals in addition to inertial navigation to ensure that, even in these pockets of urban canyons where you may not have access to GNSS signals … the GPS receiver [will] still provide centimeter-level positioning.”

As Nichols boasted, Locus Lock is an enabler of “next generation autonomous mobility.”

Locus Lock looks to affordable centimeter-level accuracy

While traditional GPS components cost around $40,000, Locus Lock said its its proprietary software and a 2-in. board cost around $2,000. Today, centimeter accuracy is inaccessible to most robot companies because most suppliers of robust hardware are military contractors, including L3Harris Technologies, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and Elbit Systems.

“We’ve specifically made sure to cater our solution towards more low-cost environments that can proliferate mass-market autonomy and robotics into the ecosystem,” stated Nichols.

Locus Lock puts its software on a 2-in. board. Source: Oliver Mitchell

Nichols added that Locus Lock’s GNSS receiver is able to pull in data from global and regional satellite constellations.

“[This gives] us more access to any signals in the sky at any given time,” said the startup founder. “Diversity is also increasingly important in next-generation GPS receivers because it allows the device to evade jammed or afflicted channels.”

Grand View Research estimated that the SDR market will climb to nearly $50 billion by 2030. As uncrewed systems proliferate, Locus Lock’s price point should also come down, asserted Nichols.

“And while there are some companies that have progressed their autonomy stacks to be quite high, they haven’t gotten their prices down to make sense in a mass-market scenario,” she said. “And so it’s crucial to enable this next generation of autonomous mobility at large to not compromise on performance but to be able to provide this at an affordable price. Locus Lock is providing high-end performance at a much lower price point.”

Nichols even predicted that the company could eventually get product to under $1,000, if not less, with more adoption.

Source: Grand View Research

Tesla Optimus takes steps toward more mobile systems

Yesterday, Tesla published on X the latest video of its Optimus humanoid moving fluidly at an incredible gait for a robot. Pitchbook recently predicted that this could be a breakout period for humanoids, with 84 leading companies now having raised over $4.6 billion.

Tesla’s Optimus Robot Achieves New Milestones in Mobility and Task Efficiency

Advanced Mobility Showcased:
Tesla’s latest clip of the Optimus humanoid robot demonstrates significant advancements in fluid mobility, as the robot is seen taking smooth strides within a testing… pic.twitter.com/hMlq2w3tQ7

— Tesla Pablo (@pablo9948967714) February 25, 2024

At the same time, the prospect of such advanced machines being hijacked via GPS spoofing into the service of terrorists, cybercriminals, or hostile governments is very real and horrifying. Thankfully, Nichols and her team are working with the Army Futures Command.

“A lot of this work has been done in spoofing and jamming — not only detection, but also mitigation,” she said. “We detect the type of RF environment that we are operating in to mitigate it and inform that end user with the situational awareness that is needed to assess ongoing attacks.”

“In addition, we can iterate much faster and bring in world-class experts on security and encryption to ensure that we protect secure military signals as much as possible,” said Nichols. “Our software can find assured reception that is demanded by these increasingly expensive and important assets that the military needs to protect.”

In ffVC’s view, our newest portfolio company is mission-critical to operating drones, robots, and other autonomous vessels safely, affordably, and securely in an increasingly dangerous world.

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Xwing and U.S. Air Force demonstrate fully autonomous cargo aircraft

James Anderton — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 19:10:36 +0000

Xwing aircraft involved in USAF autonomy tests. Source: Xwing

A joint program by the U.S. Air Force and Xwing Inc. has demonstrated fixed-wing cargo-carrying capability in a point-to-point flight between two airbases using a specially modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan.

In modern conflict, it’s axiomatic that logistics wins wars. And in an interconnected global economy, it also wins the peace.

In air freight alone, just under 16 million metric tons of cargo was flown worldwide in 2023. That represents a $335 billion market, and it’s not just dedicated cargo operators that benefit. For many airlines, cargo represents up to one-third of revenue. It’s a lot of freight, requiring lots of airframes, engines, and, of course, pilots.

The U.S. Air Force is naturally interested in the problem of air transport efficiency and has been investigating the possibilities of autonomous operation for years. The AFWERX innovation unit of the Air Force operates a research program called Autonomy Prime, which partners with private industry to accelerate testing of autonomous systems.

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Xwing advances autonomous flight

The program demonstrated a breakthrough on January 26, when program partner Xwing successfully completed a fully autonomous logistics mission, carrying cargo from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., to McClellan Airfield near Sacramento.

The cargo run was performed using no human intervention at all. Advanced autopilot technology has been around for decades, as have drone fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, so what makes this important?

Two aspects of the Autonomy Prime program are significant. The first is that point-to-point autonomous air cargo is instrumental to the Air Force Agile Combat Employment concept, which requires aircraft and equipment that are dispersed from major hub bases to smaller airfields to improve survivability. Doing this with crewed aircraft would be impossible without serious impact on conventional air transport operations.

The second, and possibly more significant impact, is that the Xwing test aircraft is not a prototype or military airplane. It’s a civil registered Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. The 208 is a popular light passenger and cargo aircraft already in extensive use by American cargo carriers for regional distribution, with a 3,000-lb. (1,360.7 kg) payload.

Technically, this means that the Xwing system has proven integration with aircraft systems in standard, certified designs, including conventional, mechanically operated control surfaces and standard engine management systems.

Conventional aircraft could go pilotless

The implication is clear: With the system already functioning well in an airframe already in common use by package delivery operators all over America, the replacement of the pilot in regional operations may only be a matter of Federal Aviation Administration approval. The test aircraft has been flying autonomously since 2020 and has 500 autonomous hours across 250 flights.

The future? A possible development is the automation of conventional aircraft to form optionally piloted systems, or cargo operators could use conventional flight crew for controlled airspace, then fly the final leg of the flight to remote destinations autonomously.

The end of the human pilot has been predicted for decades, and although the true robot airplane isn’t here yet, Autonomy Prime is bringing it one step closer.

Editor’s note: This article was syndicated from The Robot Report sibling site Engineering.com. Access all episodes of “This Week in Engineering” on Engineering.com TV.

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ARM Institute signs $35.4M DoD agreement to continue supporting U.S. manufacturing

The Robot Report Staff — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 16:37:29 +0000

The ARM Institute supports workforce development and robotics adoption. Source: Adobe Stock

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, or ARM, Institute today announced that the continuation of its cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology Program. The $35.4 million agreement will continue the ARM Institute’s funding to support U.S. manufacturing through automation and workforce development through 2028.

“The ARM Institute would like to thank the Department of Defense and, in particular, our government program manager Dr. Greg Hudas for working diligently to secure our continued agreement,” said Ira Moskowitz, CEO of the ARM Institute, in a release. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Defense to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and respond to our nation’s greatest challenges.”

In 2017, Carnegie Mellon University won an award from the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a robotics-focused Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII). The ARM Institute is a nonprofit organization with more than 400 members across industry, government, and academia. It is headquartered at the Mill 19 facility in Pittsburgh and supports a variety of projects to enhance U.S. competitiveness.

DoD funds innovation initiatives

Unlike countries such as Germany, Japan, and China, the U.S. doesn’t have a centralized industrial policy. However, the DoD has promoted U.S. manufacturing by funding robotics and workforce development programs.

The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering oversees the Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program. The ARM Institute is funded under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA network.

The institute’s original agreement with the DoD provided funding through January 2023. After a review by Joint Defense Manufacturing Council (JDMC) in 2022, the DoD began working on the terms to extend the agreement.

“Over the past seven years, the ARM Institute-Department of Defense public-private partnership has made important progress in strengthening U.S. manufacturing through advanced robotics, related AI technologies, and workforce development,” stated Dr. Greg Hudas, Department of Defense program manager for the ARM Institute, “With the continuation agreement in place, this partnership will build on this progress and continue to push innovation to a higher level for the good of the warfighter and the nation.”

The renewed agreement also offers the Defense Department the option to renew the contract again for another five years after 2028, bringing the ARM Institute’s total possible investment to $70.4 million over 10 years.

ARM Institute picks manufacturing projects

The ARM Institute said its mission is “to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience.”

The institute, which has a satellite office in St. Petersburg, Fla., noted that it has already funded more than 150 projects and built out robotics capabilities at its headquarters. It has also collaborated with DoD on “targeted directed” projects, built an internal team of nearly 40 experts, and created the RoboticsCareer.org national workforce resource.

For instance, the ARM Institute has funded a project to support a forward operating base with no access to conventional logistics, initiated a scholarship in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, named “champions” promoting its mission, and endorsed training programs.

The ARM Institute said the new DoD agreement will support its operations and member services, provide funding for projects with its members, and support existing capabilities as well as new initiatives. A spokesperson told The Robot Report that the institute is also examining potential initiatives to advance artificial intelligence in manufacturing.

Editor’s note: At the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo on May 1 and 2 in Boston, attendees can visit the ARM Institute at Booth 131 to learn more about its existing and upcoming initiatives.

In addition, Dr. Larry Sweet, former director of worldwide robotics development at Amazon Robotics and current director of engineering at the ARM Institute, will give a presentation. He will discuss “Delivering AI and Machine Learning-Enabled Robotics to the Manufacturing and Field-Service Operations” in Room 256 at 2:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 1. Register now to attend.

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KEF Robotics takes a modular approach to aircraft navigation and autonomy

Eugene Demaitre — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 16:00:04 +0000

Tailwind provides visual navigation to drones in GPS-denied environments. Source: KEF Robotics

While autopilots have helped fly aircraft for nearly a century, recent improvements in computer vision and autonomy promise to bring more software-based capabilities onboard. KEF Robotics Inc. has been developing technologies to increase aircraft safety, reliability, and range.

Founded in 2018, KEF said it provides algorithms that use camera data to enable autonomous flight across a variety of platforms and use cases. The Pittsburgh-based company works with designers to integrate these autonomy features into their aircraft.

“Our company’s mantra is to provide visual autonomy capabilities with any camera, any drone, or any computer,” said Eric Amoroso, co-founder and chief technology officer of KEF Robotics. “Being flexible and deployable to drones changes the integration from days to hours, as well as providing safe, reliable navigation,” he told The Robot Report.

“Think of us as an alternative to GPS,” said Olga Pogoda, chief operating officer at KEF Robotics. “The situation in Ukraine shows the difficulty of operating without GPS and true autonomy on the aircraft.”

KEF Robotics enables aircraft to operate without signals

“We founded KEF while entering a Lockheed Martin competition, which whittled 200 teams down to nine,” recalled Amoroso. “The drones had to be autonomous, which was a perfect test case for modular, third-party software.”

Since then, KEF Robotics has worked with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), which uses drones with multiple sensors to search for weapons of mass destruction.

The company said its Tailwind visual navigation software can use stereo cameras for hazard detection and avoidance and that it uses machine learning to localize objects and complete missions. This is particularly important for defense and security missions.

“Our long-term goal is to allow an aircraft to complete complex missions with a button push,” said Pogoda. “An operator can provide an overhead image of a building and a general direction.”

“Then, the autonomous aircraft can take off, fly to a location, and conduct a search pattern,” she explained. “It can reroute based on hazards on the way, and then it can take pictures or readings and come back to an operator without transmitting any signals.”

KEF Robotics said Tailwind, which can work at night and long-range, GPS-denied flights, is in testing and on its way to availability. The software has been validated at speeds up to 100 mph and provides closed-loop autonomous operations with drift rates of 2% of the distance traveled. It has not yet been qualified for extreme weather or conditions such as dust, fog, or smoke.

Integration important for modular approach

As with other autonomous systems such as cars, a technology stack with layers of capabilities from different, specialized providers is evolving for aircraft and drones.

“We’re seeing an interesting economic trend in purchasing aircraft — manufacturers are focusing on producing aircraft, and autonomy software is complex,” Pogoda noted. “More companies just want to build the aircraft with open interfaces to allow their customers to add capabilities after the initial delivery.”

To facilitate a more rapid integration of advanced autonomy, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) is an initiative intended to save money, enable faster and easier equipment upgrades, and improve system interoperability. KEF Robotics is following this approach.

“MOSA says that everything should be open architecture, and the industry must create tools for everything to work together,” said Pogoda.

KEF Robotics has won Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants to advance its technology. How does modular software figure in?

“The Defense Innovation Unit started pushing the MOSES philosophy that companies like KEF Robotics are embracing to rapidly integrate and innovate UAS [uncrewed aircraft system] technology,” Amoroso said. “We specialize in providing plug-and-play visual perception — technology that is expensive and challenging to develop if you’re also designing novel UAS. With MOSA, drone builders can let KEF Robotics focus on the reliability and performance challenges of visual perception while selling a product with state-of-the-art autonomy.”

“The conflict in Ukraine showed the crippling impacts of widespread GPS jamming and the utility of low-cost UAS,” he added. “It’s only through MOSA do we believe that we can circumvent these threats affordably and at scale.”

“KEF offers two forms of our solution,” said Amoroso. “One is for those interested in GPS-denied navigation, collision avoidance, and target localization. It’s a hardware-based payload that includes systems to communicate with an autopilot.”

“There’s also a software-only deployment for drones that may already have such hardware onboard,” he added. “We follow the MOSA philosophy for deploying our software, along with others’ software and camera drivers.”

For example, KEF Robotics’ software can take measurements and localize them, and a third-party architecture can do custom object detection to spot smokestacks, Amoroso said.

KEF Robotics collaborates with Auterion, Duality AI

“Before KEF came along, there was already a great community working on GPS-denied navigation, including Auterion and Cloud Ground Control,” said Amoroso. “But we had teams and companies coming to us saying, ‘How can we get vision navigation to be plug and play?'”

In June 2023, Auterion Government Solutions partnered with KEF Robotics to combine AuterionOS with Tailwind for robots and autonomous systems.

“We have a great relationship with Auterion, which sees the same core needs for ease of integration and reliability,” Amoroso said. “We offer an instantiation of vision-based navigation, but we want to set it up for new players to slot in and offer their solutions more easily, such as a lidar-based state estimator.”

“We started chatting early last year about how we’d work with Auterion Enterprise PX4,” he noted. “Auterion wanted to see a GPS-denied demonstration with its own UAVs, and within 18 hours, we got our system running with autopilot in a closed loop. We’re still doing demos with them and are interested in getting our software working with Auterion’s Skynode.”

In November, KEF Robotics said it was working with Duality AI’s Falcon digital-twin integration program to develop autonomy software for a tethered uncrewed aircraft system (TeUAS) under a U.S. Army SBIR contract. Falcon can simulate different environments and drone configurations.

“It can simulate challenging scenarios like cluttered forests to test our software and drones,” said Amoroso. “This is similar to how simulation can help autonomous vehicles augment safety, with the benefit of being able to deploy different camera configurations and software.”

Why decoupling software and hardware makes sense

How does KEF divide tasks between its systems and those of its partners? “The industry has already aggregated around some standards, but there are always customizations involved to meet a customer’s needs,” replied Amoroso.

“Some customers will say it’s OK to plug in our navigational messaging, and others prefer a companion computer that can monitor measurements or guidance commands to verify or support their own planning,” he said. “It’s important to be flexible and to understand early on what are the interfaces and to do drone demos to show that we can still execute a mission even if we don’t have full control of position or velocity.”

“But the advantage is, by decoupling autonomy from specific hardware, we can generalize our approach and rapidly integrate on a new platform,” Amoroso said. “If an aircraft has an open design, we can integrate our complex software in less than a day, start flying, and then progress to a tighter integration at a customer’s request.”

KEF Robotics is currently focused on defense applications, with a multi-aircraft demonstration of Tailwind for the Army planned for September 2024.

KEF has designed its autonomy software to be hardware-agnostic. Source: KEF Robotics

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Knightscope receives Authority to Operate within the U.S. government

Mike Oitzman — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 13:59:40 +0000

The Knightscope K3 tower is a mobile indoor version of the company’s security technology. | Credit: Knightscope

Knightscope Inc. has received its Authority to Operate from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, or FedRAMP, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Mountain View, Calif.-based security robot provider said this will enable it to be listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace as an approved provider for federal agencies.

FedRAMP is a governmentwide program to validate the security of cloud-based software used by federal agencies and buildings. Knightscope added that the Authority to Operate (ATO) will allow it to deploy its first K5 Autonomous Security Robot (ASR) under a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contract.

“Knightscope’s ATO achievement proves our organizational focus on cybersecurity and our unwavering commitment to our mission of better securing our country,” said Mercedes Soria, executive vice president and chief intelligence officer at the company, in a release. She led the nearly three-year effort to reach this milestone.

“We believe going through this intense and rigorous process has improved our security posture, which also will positively impact commercial and civilian applications,” Soria added.

Why federal suppliers need an ATO

The U.S. government created the ATO to provide a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. The process of certification and accreditation can take a long time for technology suppliers.

Vendors choose to go through the ATO process because of the potential value of having the federal government as a client. The government uses ATOs to keep its networks safe by checking the security of both new and old systems. Authorization shows that a company understands that its system’s benefits outweigh its practical dangers and that it is resistant to hacking.

The security risk could be substantial, as Knightscope’s systems use cameras to take images of their surroundings. In a federal building, some areas patrolled by robots might include sensitive information or expose content of value to other nations.

In the wrong hands, this data could be a threat to both the content of the building, as well as national security. As a result, a mobile robot such as Knightscope’s K5 requires rigorous validation. Knightscope said it is one of 324 companies to receive authorization to date.

Knightscope follows roadmap to growth

Knightscope went through a long process to get its ATO, according to a blog post titled “2024 Roadmap to Profitable Growth” by William Santana Li, chairman and CEO of the company. In the first phase, Knightscope’s robots conducted a “large-scale proof of concept,” logging millions of hours in the field for commercial customers, generating more than $30 million, and demonstrating that they could help combat crime.

The next important milestones for the company include shipping the K5 indoor and outdoor robot and the new K1 Hemisphere stationary sensor system. The company also recently launched its Automated Gunshot Detection (AGD) capability.

As Knightscope enters its second phase, it must demonstrate 50% to 67% profit margins and organizational effectiveness, wrote Santana Li. The company is also working toward more versions of its ASR and is considering acquisitions, he said.

Knightscope is working on its largest autonomous security vehicle, the K7. It is a bit larger than a typical golf cart and is designed for offroad operations with four-wheel drive and four-wheel independent steering. Li stated that the company plans to begin taking pre-orders for the K7 in 2025.

Not only does completing the ATO process an important milestone for Knightscope in selling to the federal government, but it also provides private companies confidence in the company’s systems, said Santana Li.

“The multi-year effort to acquire the ATO showcases the relentless nature of the Knightscope team and significantly increases the TAM (total addressable market) that the company can serve,” he said. “Now it is time to build on that momentum as we continue to execute our multi-phase roadmap.”

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LIG Nex1 intends to acquire stake in quadruped maker Ghost Robotics

Eugene Demaitre — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 20:19:26 +0000

LIG Nex1 and a PE firm have offered to acquire 60% of quadruped maker Ghost Robotics. Source: Ghost Robotics

LIG Nex1 Co. has declared in a regulatory filing its interest in acquiring a controlling stake in Ghost Robotics Corp., which develops quadruped robots for the U.S. military and its allies, as well as industrial customers.

“We’ve been experiencing incredible growth over the past few years,” Gavin Kenneally, co-founder and CEO of Ghost Robotics, told The Robot Report. “We believe LIG Nex1 will be a great partner to help us grow domestically and internationally. This proposed partnership will also be positive for the national security interests of the U.S. and our close allies such as South Korea.”

Kenneally and co-founder Avik De both completed their Ph.D.s in Daniel Koditschek’s legged robotics lab at the University of Pennsylvania. They then co-founded Ghost Robotics in 2015 and were joined shortly thereafter by their first CEO, Jiren Parikh, until his untimely passing in March 2022.

The Philadelphia-based company said it has been building Q-UGVs (uncrewed ground vehicles) with customer partners for specific environments and government and enterprise uses. Its offerings include the Vision 60 UGV.

LIG plans to acquire share of Ghost Robotics at $400M valuation

Korea JoongAng Daily reported that LIG Nex1 plans to spend 187.7 billion won ($143.3 million U.S.), which reflects its 60% of the contemplated transaction value. A private equity investor would provide the remaining 40% of the total $240 million deal.

That $240 million is 60% of Ghost Robotics’ $400 million enterprise valuation, explained Kenneally. LIG Nex1, an aerospace and defense manufacturer previously owned by LIG Group, is required to declare its intent as a public company in Korea, he said. LIG plans to conduct the purchase through a special-purpose acquisition company, said Korea JoongAng Daily.

“We’re actively negotiating definitive agreements at the moment and look forward to achieving consensus and signing soon,” Kenneally said. “We’ll be going through the appropriate regulatory review steps and anticipate closing sometime in the second quarter of next year.”

He said Ghost Robotics will have more news to share about its technologies and market outreach after the deal closes.

About a year ago, Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Ghost Robotics, which replied at the time that its systems are based on original research. That case is still pending.

Defense demand for ground robots market to grow

Despite ethical debates, robots in military and homeland security applications promise to improve efficiency and save lives. In March 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense specified policy, assigned responsibilities, and provided procedures for automated weapons platforms.

The global market for military robotics could expand from $22.78 billion in 2023 to $31.9 billion by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.97%, according to Mordor Intelligence. The market research firm said it expects demand for ground robots to be especially strong in defense and security applications.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

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Gecko Robotics raises $100M Series C extension, adds board members to intensify defense focus

The Robot Report Staff — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:42:59 +0000

Dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks such as inspections of fuel tanks or military systems are ideal for robots. Gecko Robotics Inc., which has developed software and robots to help maintain and build critical infrastructure, today announced an extension of its Series C funding. The Pittsburgh-based company has raised a total of $173 million in this round.

As part of the extension, Gecko is adding representatives from US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT) and Founders Fund to its corporate board. Both well-known investors in the defense technology space.

“This investment is designed to help supercharge our work, ensuring the critical assets that our military relies on to protect our national security are ready,” said Jake Loosararian, CEO of Gecko Robotics, in a release. “From our work getting ships out of maintenance cycles faster to helping build the next generation of military equipment, Gecko is proud to be increasing our partnerships with the U.S. military — and we’re looking forward to having USIT and Founders Fund onboard helping us continue that growth.”

The company last week announced that it will help the U.S. Navy increase the speed of the manufacturing process for the $132 billion Columbia-class nuclear submarine program.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

Gecko Robotics applies AI to accelerate maintenance

Gecko Robotics said it has developed bio-inspired wall-climbing robots, sensors, and a data platform using artificial intelligence to provide customers with “unprecedented insights” into the current and future health of their physical assets. It claimed that it can enable “decision advantage and increasing readiness to ensure mission success.”

Since its initial Series C announcement, Gecko Robotics said it has experienced a major increase in demand from both the U.S. military and its allies. The company has contracts with the U.S. Navy to speed maintenance cycles for surface ships.

Gecko also has a contract with the U.S. Air Force to rapidly assess the condition of ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launch facilities. It is part of the Sentinel program for modernizing strategic nuclear missile silos.

Last month, Gecko announced the launch of Cantilever, a platform that uses AI to help the Navy and other customers accelerate decision making. The system integrates data from various robotic, fixed-sensor, and partner systems to bring together data layers that were not previously possible, the company asserted.

“Cantilever drives important decisions for customers that increase uptime, decrease costs, and eliminate safety issues,” it said.

New board members to strengthen defense focus

“Preserving American military superiority requires that we not only maintain, but also build and innovate our critical defense infrastructure,” stated Thomas Tull, chairman of USIT. “Gecko is at the forefront of pioneering a new era of military readiness with robots and AI-powered software that will improve the systems necessary to maintaining our national safety and fulfill America’s vital responsibilities around the world.”

“Gecko Robotics is solving a problem that does not get enough attention,” added Trae Stephens, partner at Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. “Maintenance is often overlooked, but it can mean the difference between having the military assets we need to respond to a national security threat or not.”

“American innovation is leading the way in building the future technology to protect the freedom and security of America and our allies,” he said. “Gecko is on the frontlines of making sure the assets we rely on are ready if called upon — both today and tomorrow.”

Stephens, who is also the co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril Industries, and Gaetano Crupi, managing director of USIT and co-founder and former CEO of Cabin Technologies, are filling the new board seats.

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New York Drones & Robotics AI Summit heralds growing automation industry

Oliver Mitchell — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:00:56 +0000

ffVC hosted the Drones & Robotics AI Summit in New York. Source: Robert Wright Photographs

The Big Apple is the center of the East Coast innovation corridor, which stretches north to Boston and Canada and south to Washington, D.C., and North Carolina’s Research Triangle. On Nov. 8, more than 200 leaders within the drone, robotics, and artificial intelligence ecosystem gathered at the Drones & Robotics AI Summit 2023 in New York to network, ideate, and demonstrate innovative technologies.

The plenum of speakers also included numerous government officials promoting innovation and technology investments. The summit, put on by ff Venture Capital and Genius New York, proved once and for all that mechatronics has a home in the Empire State, rivaling even California’s Silicon Valley.

Inaugurating the summit, my partner and ffVC founder John Frankel reminded the audience that there is really nothing new under the sun, as the ancient Greeks created an automate therapaenis, a robotic servant in the 3rd century BCE.

NYPD demonstrates public safety drones

The NYPD demonstrates a drone. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

The Drones & Robotics AI Summit program quickly accelerated into the 21st century with Capt. Michael Gulinello of the New York City Police Department’s Drones & Robotics unit. He showcased more than 20 use cases of uncrewed aerial systems (UASes) recently deployed against active shooters, shark attacks, and crowd control.

Gulinello’s team also parked a UAS command vehicle outside the event, enabling attendees to witness live demonstrations in the heart of Times Square. The captain said he looks forward to the day when robots will be ubiquitous in policing, with the public having confidence in its ability to protect their privacy and safety.

The NYPD’s strategic command center that operates drone fleets falls under the oversight of New York City’s chief technology officer, Matthew Fraser. At the summit, I had an opportunity to sit down and speak with Fraser about his new initiatives to partner with startups and private capital.

New York seeks innovative solutions to urban problems

The CTO and civil servant has spent more than 17 years leading information technologies across city agencies, including the Department of Buildings, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the NYPD. Fraser said his experiences informed him as he launched the SmartCities Testbed for startups looking to apply their inventions to urban problems, such as using drones for building exterior inspections or computer vision for traffic monitoring.

Fraser encouraged the more than 100 startups gathered to apply. His approach to inviting entrepreneurs to shake up established agencies is also present in the new AI Action Plan, which that lays out a clear path to integrating machine learning technologies into the fabric of the nation’s largest metropolitan area.

In Fraser’s words, AI could augment social services by providing a safety net to the most vulnerable citizens, ensuring that no one falls through the cracks and that they can access the full benefits that they are entitled to receive. This thinking follows the recent statements by his boss, Mayor Eric Adams.

“Artificial intelligence is one of the most impactful technological advances of our time,” stated the mayor. “While AI has the potential to improve services and processes across our government, we must also be mindful of its associated risks. With the release of our AI Action Plan, the first-of-its-kind for a major U.S. city, we are cementing our commitment to this emerging technology’s responsible use and ensuring that we are deploying the right tools in the right ways.”

According to the report, the findings used information gathered by 18 city agencies with the goal of harnessing “the power of AI for good.”

Matt Fraser, CTO of New York City (left), and Oliver Mitchell of ffVC have a fireside chat. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

Public sector looks for private partners

Attendees of the Drones & Robotics AI Summit also heard from the federal government — specifically, the U.S. Department of Defense through its partner, the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). The panel included:

Alice Globus, chief financial officer of Nanotronics
Shane Skopak, vice president of business development at DZYNE Technologies
Bhargav Patel, senior technologist at the Department of Homeland Security
Grant Fox, director for the Mid-Atlantic Region at NSIN and moderator

Their session deconstructed the types of opportunities for startups from federal law enforcement and military agencies, especially in light of the new CHIPS Act and the Build America Buy America initiative. The panel also examined the grants available for public/private partnerships and defense missions.

These opportunities were especially evident in NSIN’s newsletter after the summit. It promoted the 2024 X-Force Fellowship program, 2023 NSIN Foundry and Forge cohorts, and the NSIN Emerge accelerator. It also spotlighted the Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) challenges and the xTech Good Vibrations Challenge.

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security has its own Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) to test drone and other hardware innovations. Dual use was probably best exemplified on the panel by Nanotronics, which offers numerous AI products for the aerospace industry, as well as the career path of Shane Skopak, former Navy test pilot and current business development lead for DZYNE Industries.

NSIN panel discusses public-private collaboration. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

Now is the time to invest in robotics, say VCs

To many founders, investors look like a homogenous group of executives with checkbooks capitalizing on their ideas. However, this view could cause them to miss finding the right partner for launching their businesses.

The deployment of capital in the private markets is driven by various factors, ranging from governments seeking to bolster jobs to venture capitalists driving returns and corporate partners looking for a strategic business fit. The Drones & Robotics AI Summit enabled founders to “speed date” and meet a wide variety of investors.

They included fellow panelists Peter Finn at investment bank BGL, Sasha Jostrom-Reiser of early-stage VC firm Cybernetix, Besty Mulé of later-stage VC F-Prime, and Jason Hong of corporate VC Micron Ventures. We discussed the implications of large language models (LLMs) on robotics and why now is a good time to invest.

As Hong noted, increased memory and computing power enable the development of AI at a scale that could make robots even more impactful than previously thought. Jostrom-Reiser added that this trend has lowered costs and increased adoption, “driving interest from businesses to invest in AI applications.

Mulé commented further that the convergence of AI and declining sensor costs have improved mechatronic performance so much that it has opened the door for new upstarts to capitalize on unforeseen opportunities. Finn suggested this will lead to more M&A exits and even IPOs.

All of us agreed that the macro trends of labor shortages, aging populations, and declining startup costs set up investment returns to dramatically climb in the next five years. In summary, it’s a great time to invest.

Investment panel at Drones & Robotics AI Summit. Source: Robert Wright Photographs

Drones & Robotics AI Summit looks at deliveries

Before breaking for lunch, we discussed fast-food drone delivery with Bobby Healy of Manna, an ffVC portfolio company. He shared on-screen examples of his current pilots throughout the Irish coast, especially the Dublin suburb of Balbriggan.

Healy started the keynote with a cellphone video of a child excitedly watching a drone dropping off a shopping bag. Today, the town is used to the buzzing quadcopters. Services continue without fanfare; it’s now just part of life.

“In Balbriggan, 40% of the population uses our service 1.6 times a month, and we are confident that this number will continue to grow as word of mouth contributes to popularizing the service,” said Healy.

Today, the repeat usage percentage has grown considerably. Ironically, one of the most-requested items is a hot cup of coffee, Healy noted.

The Irish entrepreneur illustrated how his fleet is moving at remarkable speed against terrestrial (driving) options and at a fraction of the cost. He even calculated that Manna is improving sustainability in terms of saving trees. This past Halloween, Manna made news in the U.S. with candy deliveries.

“After over four years of operations and over 150,000 flights logged in Europe, we are excited to be touching down in the United States to offer the residents of Dallas/Fort Worth a lightning-quick and sustainable home delivery service,” said Andrew Patton, head of U.S. for Manna Drone Delivery. “We are taking Halloween to new heights, with a fun new way for kids to trick or treat – especially when the weather isn’t very Halloween-compatible!”

This is only the beginning of their global expansion with more flights, more restaurants, and more trees that all of us need. Another speaker at the Drones & Robotics AI Summit was Rishap Malhotra of Drone Up, a Virginia Beach, Va.-based last-mile delivery operation.

Update on ‘Roadmap for U.S. Robotics’

Henrik Christensen then led a discussion on the state of the robotics industry in 2023. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) professor is the author of “A Roadmap for U.S. Robotics,” which is now researching its fifth edition.

The roadmap sets the congressional funding priorities for the U.S. in science and technology. Christensen has been traveling across the country setting up workshops with academics, industry leaders, and inventors discussing the most pressing issues in moving robotics forward.

I participated in one workshop at the University of Pennsylvania in September debating the opportunities for automation in infrastructure and technical hurdles in perception and manipulation. This endeavor is on top of Christensen’s teaching and lab responsibilities at UCSD, executive obligations at Robust.ai, and his own investment activities, formerly at RoboGlobal.

One of the most startling statistics that Christensen presented is that 81% of people between the ages of 18 to 29 play video games for over 10 hours a week. While many would bemoan this figure, he sees it as an opportunity for leveraging their active thumbs in controlling machines across factories, warehouses, farms, and construction sites.

As our population continues to age, these skills will become more vital in creating robotic devices to aid seniors with the most basic living skills in their homes and healthcare facilities. Christensen pointed to the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic as a guide to enabling the U.S. to lead the world toward an automated future.

Henrik Christensen discusses pandemic lessons for U.S. robotics. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

New York State to expand startup opportunities

While Christensen provided a national view, we were privileged to host Commissioner Hope Knight of New York’s Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) to share the state’s perspective. ffVC has partnered with the ESD to fund innovations born in the Excelsior State since 2014.

Most recently, ffVC opened an office in Syracuse’s TechGarden, the incubator space shared with Genius NY. It will mentor and finance startups in the drones and robotics space.

At the Drones & Robotics AI Summit, Knight outlined the opportunities for founders within the automation space in New York, such as accelerators throughout the state and startup tax incentives. They are intended to expand opportunities for small businesses throughout the region, especially in growing technology fields that can provide jobs to populations ignored by traditional corporations, she said.

As a venture investor, I left Knight’s keynote enthusiastic about New York State leading the nation in recruiting a fresh crop of diverse founders within the UAS space, bringing with them unique experiences and solutions to previously unaddressed problems.

Commissioner Hope Knight discusses drone advances and New York State initiatives. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

Startups show the way to industry change

The Drones & Robotics AI Summit then flowed right into a lightning round of demonstrations by Genius NY’s current and previous cohorts. The audience had the chance to see the full spectrum of uncrewed systems, including mission-planning software, quadcopter blades, and complete mechanical systems.

The presenting startups included Aloft, Vermeer, Geopipe, Vermeer, Votix, TruWeather Solutions, Greenjets, Voltela, Dronehub, ArchAngel, and Blueflite, the 2023 Grand Prize Winner. Blueflite co-founder Frank Noppel shared his appreciation for the Genius NY program and the Upstate region.

“In Syracuse, we’ve discovered a unique ecosystem perfectly suited for Blueflite’s ambitions,” he said. “Firstly, we’ve found the opportunity to collaborate with top-tier manufacturing facilities for batch production using advanced 3D-printing technology while adhering to the most stringent aerospace standards.”

“Secondly, Syracuse provides access to the world’s most advanced drone test facility, which is required for our ongoing drone production and R&D efforts,” said Noppel. “Lastly, the city’s thriving community of drone tech companies that we can integrate into our drone platform makes it one of the most competitive drone solutions out there. Together, these elements make Syracuse the ideal fit for Blueflite.”

Kara Jones, executive director of Genius NY, echoed his sentiments. “From autonomous flights for travel to improving how we transport goods, to improving processes around data collection and inspections, to health care, defense, and more – UAS is transforming how we live and work,” she said.

“These GENIUS NY teams are at the leading edge of their technologies and have demonstrated their strong potential for growth and success,” said Jones. “As market demands evolve and technology advances, these and other UAS companies have access to the most robust concentration of firms, infrastructure, and investments anywhere in the country, here in New York.”

Genius NY startups conducted demonstrations. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

ffVC provides portfolio insights

The Drones & Robotics AI Summit concluded with a deep dive into ffVC’s portfolio led by our head of platform, Charlotte Japp. The companies gathered represented the full spectrum of automation sector, with Christian Sanz of SkyCatch (drones), Miika Satori of Cambrian Vision (collaborative robots), and Jesse Canella of TensorFlight (artificial intelligence).

Sanz shared tips on how to close deals with investors and key customer accounts by showing up at their headquarters uninvited ready to work. While some would say this is borderline stalking, SkyCatch’s revenues prove otherwise.

Japp pressed the group for more founder tips, with Satori voicing the importance of strategic partners to forge multi-faceted relationships to encompass reselling, R&D, as well as capital investments. Cambrian is on the heels of announcing the closing of its next round with a corporate venture supporting its global sales effort in Europe, Japan, and the U.S.

Canella added his own thoughts on working with market leaders to create feedback loops to proactively grow its customer lifetime value.

Portfolio panel at Drones & Robotics AI Summit. Credit: Robert Wright Photographs

As my colleague, Charlotte Japp, reflected on the session, “Portfolio companies shared best practices on fundraising and corporate relationships. The early stage founders in the audience got a kick out of the unconventional practices suggested, from watching the same TV show as a prospective customer to boarding a plane for an IRL meeting that an investor hasn’t asked for.”

The summit already helped to keep New York innovation local. “I came to this event as someone who has a novice interest in the drone tech industry, looking to enter and acquire experience by potentially joining a drone company,” said one young entrepreneur. “I found that there are a lot more New York-based companies in this industry than I previously thought. This was very helpful, as I assumed that I would need to relocate elsewhere in order to join a drone tech company.”

Frank Sinatra would be proud — “Start spreading the news….”

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Amazon Astro offers security monitoring for small businesses

Mike Oitzman — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:27:16 +0000

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/journeys/2l0w5rdO5OOXP2BM12FPmqmKoUCCgFBUEU6fbOHCIOfW43D/Yzk1ZTY2YzAt._CB575509364_.mp4

Amazon announced a new security solution for small and medium-sized businesses that leverages the Astro mobile robot. Astro was introduced in September 2021 with an underwhelming feature set for consumers. The new solution, called Astro for Business, is designed to give small business owners peace of mind and deliver additional security services beyond the stationary monitoring capabilities of the Amazon-owned Ring security product line which was acquired by Amazon in 2018 for over $1.2 billion.

The use case that Amazon is pursuing with Astro now is delivering a mobile security patrol solution that can run around your business after hours, monitoring the facility and alerting a business owner if something nefarious happens. Whereas the Ring security solution can easily monitor all of the entrances and exits to a facility with various sensors (including vision cameras), Astro provides a mobile camera that can be repositioned to investigate a situation remotely.

Business customers can tailor Astro for Business with separately sold subscriptions that each provide incremental benefits when layered on top of each other. This includes Ring Protect Pro and Astro Secure, a new subscription offering advanced business security features, like smart alerts, custom patrol routes, and scheduled patrols. Customers can also add a Virtual Security Guard for additional professional monitoring capabilities. From checking in after hours to having Astro patrol and send alerts if something is amiss, Astro for Business aims to give business owners eyes in more places and peace of mind knowing that they can better protect their business.

The company is attempting to deliver a security solution that provides enhanced security features at a lower cost point than some of the other robotic security solutions on the market from companies like Cobalt, Knightscope, and Badger Technologies.

Anthony Robson, head of product for Amazon Astro said, “We have been testing Astro in a variety of businesses and have seen firsthand how Astro’s intelligent motion helped provide visibility on blind spots and areas that existing stationary cameras couldn’t see, giving business owners peace of mind because their inventory and property are protected, even when they aren’t there.”

Astro for Business is engineered to monitor the facility 24/7, extending its coverage in businesses up to 5,000 square feet (for a single Astro mobile robot). Customers gain access to a suite of features, including live view, two-way talk, Astro’s HD periscope camera with night vision, and visual ID for smart alerts regarding unrecognized individuals. The system introduces additional subscriptions to augment security.

Ring Protect Pro: A Ring Protect Pro subscription lets customers save Astro for Business video history for up to 180 days and sync Astro for Business with Ring Alarm to link Ring Motion Detectors and window and door Ring Alarm Contact Sensors for alerts when a Ring Alarm is triggered.
Astro Secure: This feature enables Astro to patrol autonomously and lets customers create multiple security monitoring routes tailored to their business, with specific viewpoints and frequencies. Astro can also send customers smart alerts when it hears the sounds of smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms or glass breaking, and with a synced Ring Alarm, Astro can also move autonomously to triggered sensors to investigate.
Virtual Security Guard: For even more protection, adding a Virtual Security Guard subscription lets Rapid Response agents respond when Astro is in Home or Away mode. For example, if Astro detects an unrecognized person, hears the sound of glass breaking or a smoke or CO alarm, or receives an alert that a Ring Alarm sensor has been triggered, agents are alerted. The agents can then initiate Astro’s live view and remotely navigate the device to investigate further, and if needed, call emergency services.

Real-world testing across diverse industries has yielded positive feedback from users. James Mahon of Southern Oregon Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., affirms Astro’s value, calling it a “security camera on steroids.” Chris Adkins of Louisville Office Furniture appreciates Astro’s real-time issue-checking capabilities, while Jonathan Hebel, COO of Hapa Group, attests, “Having Astro has helped me sleep better at night.”

Astro for Business is managed through the Amazon Astro app, giving business owners access to security alerts and oversight anywhere they have a network or cellular connection. Note that Astro cannot go up or down stairs and is intended for indoor use only. Currently, Amazon is only selling one Astro per customer as multi-device is not supported on Astro and Astro for Business. The company says that multi-device support is coming soon.

Astro for Business is available for purchase today starting at $2,349.99. At purchase, customers will receive a free four-month trial of Ring Protect Pro ($20/month) and Astro Secure ($60/month), a $320 value. If subscribed to both Ring Protect Pro and Astro Secure, customers can also add Virtual Security Guard for $99/month. Astro for Business is only available in the U.S.

Compare this pricing to Knightscope which sells its security service for $7 per hour. A 12-hour (overnight) security robot contact from Knightscope would run $558 a week or ~$30K per year, which is out of reach for most small businesses.

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Knightscope launches $10M public safety infrastructure bond offering

Mike Oitzman — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 21:55:16 +0000

Knightscope, Inc. [Nasdaq: KSCP] (“Knightscope” or the “Company”), a leading developer of autonomous security robots and blue light emergency communication systems, today announces a $10 million Public Safety Infrastructure Bond Offering where the public may fight crime with their investment portfolio.

“It is our view that retail investors are often precluded from participating in high-yield debt offerings made by publicly traded companies and we hope to begin to address that injustice through this bond offering. Simultaneously, this can provide semi-permanent long-term growth capital in a non-dilutive form to continue to fuel Knightscope’s growth,” said William Santana Li, Chairman and CEO of Knightscope, Inc.

The Company is offering 10% interest, paid in cash annually, on up to a 5-year bond. For example, a $10,000 investment could yield $1,000 of interest in cash payments annually. Over 5 years, an investor could accumulate up to $5,000 in interest payments. Learn more at bond.knightscope.com.

Although the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reported national violent crime decreased by an estimated 1.7% in 2022 when compared to 2021, property crimes increased by 1.06%. With 78% of law enforcement agencies reporting problems recruiting qualified candidates (source: International Associate of Chiefs of Police), it is likely that future reports may paint a grim picture. The country needs affordable technological tools to be able to better serve the safety needs of the community and fill gaps in personnel to avoid having to reduce or eliminate certain agency services, units, or positions.

Knightscope’s Autonomous Security Robots (“ASRs”) have been in service since May 2015 and have been directly responsible for many documented crime-fighting wins. One Los Angeles County law enforcement agency expanded its public safety presence with Knightscope’s K5 ASR and attributed the following statistics to the deployment: a 10% reduction in calls for service, a 46% reduction in crime reports, and a 68% reduction in citations. As a result, the City Council approved the contract renewal, which recently entered its 5th consecutive year.

Fight crime with your investment portfolio

Knightscope is raising capital to continue to fuel its growth. The Company’s momentum is building – an overview of which may be found at www.knightscope.com/rise – and purchasing Knightscope Bonds will support the effort to deploy the technology at more and more locations across the country.

Unlike municipal bonds that tend to serve hyper-local issues and typically raise taxes, Knightscope bonds are backed by the Company and will benefit public safety professionals from both law enforcement and the security industry across the United States. According to Investopedia, “Bonds tend to be less volatile and less risky than stocks, and when held to maturity can offer more stable and consistent returns.” They also provide a means of preserving capital and earning a predictable return.

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Massachusetts legislature to consider bill banning armed robots

Brianna Wessling — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 21:22:28 +0000

Massachusetts State Rep. Linsay Sabadosa and State Sen. Michael Moore have filed “An Act to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies”. This act would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and operation of robotic devices or drones that are mounted with a weapon.

This first-of-its-kind legislation will implement regulations aim at protecting the public while bringing stability and predictability to an emerging market and its entrepreneurs. The bill has three primary provisions related to robots, drones, and other uncrewed robotic devices in Massachusetts. These provisions:

Ban the sale and use of weapons-mounted robotic devices
Ban the use of robotic devices to threaten or harass
Ban the usage of robotic devices to physically restrain an individual

Those found in violation of these provisions will face fines between $5,000 and $25,000, in addition to any other penalty imposed due to violations of existing laws.

“Very often, the pace of innovation moves faster than critical regulation that protects the public. I’m pleased to have worked with Representative Sabadosa, the ACLU of Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics, and so many others to get ahead of what can be a very dangerous technology if in the wrong hands,” Senator Michael Moore said. “This bill puts reasonable guardrails around the use of robots to harass members of the public and bans the weaponization of this technology by those without strict oversight, while also introducing rules for law enforcement to bolster public trust. I am hopeful that, if passed, this legislation can serve as a model for responsible robotics regulation in other states and beyond.”

The US Military and its contractors, law enforcement officials disposing of explosives, and private companies testing anti-weaponization technologies with case-by-case waivers from the Massachusetts Attorney General, are exempt from the penalties created by the bill.

The bill also codified requirements that a warrant is needed when a robot enters a private property, except in exigent circumstances. This measure is intended to assure public confidence in law enforcement officials’ use of these technologies. The bill also requires that information about the usage of advanced robotic technology by law enforcement agencies must be available to the public under Massachusetts public records law.

“Advanced mobile robots are incredible tools that can enrich our lives and keep people safe, but makeshift efforts to weaponize general purpose robots threaten public trust and acceptance of this emerging technology,” Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Policy & Government Relations at Boston Dynamics, said. “We recently led a consortium of six leading robotics companies calling on policymakers to ensure the ethical use of general-purpose robots and prohibit their misuse. We are proud to have worked in collaboration with Representative Sabadosa, Senator Moore, civil rights advocates, and robotics industry leaders, to help develop the nation’s first comprehensive legislation on this topic, in our home state of Massachusetts.”

Now that the bill has been introduced to the Massachusetts House and Senate the act will be assigned to legislative committees for evaluation and testimony.

While this piece of legislation is the first of its kind in the country, it likely won’t be the last. Conversations about whether or not weaponized robots should be used are ongoing. Last year, the San Francisco supervisors reversed course and unanimously voted to temporarily ban its police department from using robots with lethal force. The issue was sent back to the committee for further discussion and could be voted on again in the future.

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Ascento launches nimble Guard robot with wheel-leg design

Mike Oitzman — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 14:29:43 +0000

Robotics startup Ascento recently announced a $4.3 million funding round and the launch of its latest autonomous outdoor security patrolling robot: Ascento Guard.

The pre-seed funding round was led by Wingman Ventures and Playfair with participation from marquee investors including Tim Kentley-Klay (Founder of Zoox that exited to Amazon), robotics industry veteran Ryan Gariepy (CTO & Co-Founder of Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors), Daniel Kottlarz (Founder of MYBOTSHOP, largest robotics research reseller in Europe) and Tobias Redlin (Founder of IGO3D, largest desktop 3D printer distributor in Europe), including non-dilutive funding from the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse and the European Space Agency incubator ESA BIC.

Unique wheel-leg design

These autonomous robots are designed to navigate any outdoor terrain with agility and stability of their legs. They are already being deployed on large industrial sites and have covered over 3000 km for outdoor security since early this year. Ascento customers include large outdoor warehouses, industrial manufacturing, and pharma campuses, among others.

The Ascento Guard robot featured a two-wheel drive architecture with variable-length legs. | Credit: Ascento

Today, the startup has launched its latest autonomous outdoor security patrolling robot called Ascento Guard. It can detect bad actors or unwanted people on the premises, verify perimeter integrity, check that doors and windows are closed, record property lights, identify floods and fires, and control parking lots. They can move at a walking speed of 1389 m/sec (3.1 mph) and come with autonomous charging such that the system can be continuously in operation without human intervention.

The Ascento Guard can be installed and deployed within a few hours, allowing companies to save from day 1 and adapt fast to their current security needs. The Ascento Guard can be hired by the hour, just like a human guard, and it includes deployment, 24/7 support, service, and repairs. The Ascento App analyses video and images with AI and integrates them with existing video management systems, provides end-to-end encrypted two-way communication, and offers powerful reports that security managers want to see.

Ascento provides a web-based interface that includes analytics and real-time map features. | Credit: Ascento

Alessandro Morra, co-founder and CEO of Ascento commented: “The new Ascento Guard offers hope and a breath of fresh air for the security industry facing some pressing challenges. By supporting human security personnel with the Ascento Guard, security companies can offer a lean solution through which Ascento does the heavy lifting allowing humans to focus on the unique nuances of the work”.

The global security industry is facing mounting challenges. Labor shortages mean a lack of qualified personnel available to do the work which involves long shifts, during anti-social hours, or in bad weather. To compound matters, there is high staff turnover in the industry, as much as 47% annually.

Alessandro Morra added: “Ascento is targeting the high operating costs the industry is enduring. The traditional approach is to use either people or fixed-installed cameras. We know about the labour challenges and the installation of cameras has a huge outlay that can be complex. The Ascento Guard provides the best of both worlds, with the resilience, reliability, and repeatability of technical solutions whilst being as flexible as human guards.”

Ascento was co-founded by Alessandro Morra (CEO), Miguel de la Iglesia Valls (CTO), Ciro Salzmann, and Dominik Mannhart (Software & Hardware) who combined their experience as security guards together with the robotics technology that they developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) as students.

The company is selling the solution using a robots as a service (RaaS) business model. The team has grown to more than 10 people, with new customers signing up every month. Fleet mileage has grown over 70% month over month since the beginning of 2023. The systems in the field have accumulated over 3000 km (1800 miles).

Chris Smith, Managing Partner at Playfair commented: “Many of the world’s most pressing business challenges cannot be solved by software alone. We see the next decade as providing a huge opportunity for companies building in robotics to solve these challenges. Ascento’s combination of a world-class team, best-in-class technology, and a large global market with significant labor and pricing pressures made this a compelling investment opportunity for us.”

Technical Specs of Ascento

Robot

Autonomous speed: 1389 m/sec (3.1 mph)
Weight: <30kg (66.1 lbs)
Size: 50-90cm x 70cm x 50cm (19.7-35.43 in x 27.56 in x 19.69 in)
Runtime: 4.5 hours

Sensors and I&O

Thermal camera
Infrared camera
Microphone & Speakers
GPS
4G, Wifi

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Gecko Robotics earns $5M Navy expansion contract

Brianna Wessling — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:10:34 +0000

Gecko Robotics, a developer of vertical climbing robots for asset inspection, announced that it has further expanded its work with the U.S. Navy. The expansion includes a new $5 million ceiling contract with Huntington Ingalls Industries, a shipbuilding company. This is the second time this year that Gecko Robotics has expanded its work with the U.S. Navy.

With the contract expansion, Gecko Robotics aims to further increase the speed and quality of maintenance cycles for Navy surface ships, including amphibious assault ships. Gecko’s AI-powered robots gather data and build digital models of the Navy’s vessels to increase the speed of maintenance cycles and reduce the amount of time Navy vessels spend in dry dock.

Gecko’s work with the Navy includes inspecting Destroyers and amphibious assault ships at U.S. Navy regional maintenance centers. Since being deployed with the Navy, Gecko’s robots have been able to reduce the lead time required for a ship rudder inspection from 11 days to one.

“We built Gecko Robotics to collect data that has never been accessible before and use it to solve real-world problems,” Jake Loosararian, CEO and Co-founder of Gecko Robotics, said. “Helping the Navy increase the speed and efficiency of the maintenance process has a direct impact on U.S. and global security. We’re proud to support this vital mission with mature technology that has been tested and approved by leaders across the Navy.”

Gecko will be performing work across various locations where its robots will be inspecting ships for damage, gathering data for digital models of vessels, and feeding the company’s AI-powered software platform. This data can be leveraged to increase the speed of repair plans and maintenance cycles, and allow the Navy to move towards more predictive maintenance planning in the future.

Gecko isn’t just working with the US Navy, in December 2022, the company announced it was awarded an 18-month, $1.5 million contract through the US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

The company’s technology is made for the power generation, oil and gas, heavy manufacturing and defense industries. Its TOKA Series robots, which include the TOKA 3, TOKA 4, TOKA 4 GZ and TOKA Flex, are each designed to perform under certain circumstances. Gecko also offers it MONARCH robot, which has a compact size and modular payloads, helping it navigate complex geometries.

Gecko was co-founded by Loosararian and Troy Demmer, now the chief product officer. Loosararian started the company in 2013 and in 2016 joined efforts with Demmer. The company received $2.1 million in funding the same year.

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