ROSCon, Humanoids, robotics news and some more startup failures
Plus what the patent landscape looks like for humanoids and robot dexterity
Are you at ROSCon 2024? Come say hi at the IEEE RAS “Manufacturing for Robot Startups” Room 209 Birds of a Feather Session today (Monday 21st) or at IEEE RAS Booth 25 or at the Women in Robotics Lunch Meetup on Tuesday 22nd in the Cafeteria. The agenda in Odense is jampacked with goodness and that’s not counting the technical tours, social events and adjacent conferences, ROS Industrial and ICSR, the International Conference on Social Robotics.
When will the humanoid patent wars break out? T+P
Last week I gave robotics presentations at Singularity U’s Expert Sessions and to Saudi Aramco. This week I’m also giving a keynote at Masters and Robots in Poland.
We’ve had to postpone the SVR Robotics Investor Summit from Nov 1 to Jan 30, however, there are several other new events and we’ll be doing some virtual startup networking in November. The soft launch of Circuit Launch Mountain View is now Dec 7th with DIY Robocars and a Brazilian BBQ ! Plus we have startup booth options for you at Humanoids Summit Dec 11-12 and the SVR/IEEE RAS “Manufacturing for Robotics Startups” workshop on Dec 13.
#CircuitLaunchMountainView #Bots&Beer #Humanoids #HumanoidsSummit #Robocars #DIYRobocars #BrazilianBBQ #CircuitLaunch #SiliconValleyRobotics
The new Circuit Launch Mountain View (and Silicon Valley Robotics HQ2) is at 599 Fairchild Dr Mountain View. It was the home of Hacker Dojo and then Boston Dynamics! And also where Silicon Valley Robotics had our first office.
Humanoids Summit - First exhibitors and speakers Announced!
Silicon Valley Robotics is proud to be the strategic advisor for the first Humanoids Summit, Dec 11th and 12th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.
The first speakers to be announced include Jonathan Hurst from Agility Robotics. You’ll also meed 1X, Apptronik, Kind Humanoids, Engineered Arts, Enchanted Tools and Hanson Robotics. And we’re just getting started.
The Summit has expanded to three tracks in order to accommodate more stellar speakers and exhibitors, and if you’re a Silicon Valley Robotics member you get a great discount on exhibiting and attending.
SVR Investor Summit:
Apologies for the delay updating you, but we aren't quite ready to move ahead with the Silicon Valley Robotics Investor Summit on Nov 1st with the new location in Mountain View, although we've 'soft launched' CLMV for new members/tenants.
Instead of the in person summit, on Nov 1st we will start virtual outreach our investor community with your short startup profiles - with your permission and after we confirm details with each of you.
ALL registrations will also forward to Jan 30th 2025. Please ignore the accepted/pending/notaccepted as we update Luma.
Jobs in Robotics!
We’ll be posting more jobs in robotics every month from Silicon Valley Robotics member companies (I think the click rate from our first run was pretty good). Our readers are primarily robotics professionals and the variation of clicks between different jobs show that people were being selective about what jobs they wanted to apply for.
Please send me your job links!
More robotics startup failures
CB Insights has summarized some recent high profile/high value startup failures, including some in the robotics automation space - particularly self-driving.
Convoy
Convoy operated a digital freight network that attracted investors like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. However, the company — run by executives without trucking experience — struggled to transform its intentionally money-losing model into a profitable business. Its financial challenges were only exacerbated by a downturn in shipping demand — and the concurrent contraction in the venture capital market left it without a means to raise cash, leading to its closure.
Select VC investors: Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, Y Combinator, CapitalG
Total equity funding: $836M
Peak valuation: $3.8B
Instant Insights: Convoy shuts down amid financial turmoil in October 2023
Convoy, once considered the “Uber for trucking,” ceased operations after unsuccessfully trying to raise fresh capital or find a buyer.
Convoy’s revenue plummeted in the first nine months of 2023, hitting $320M vs. the $630M it generated in full-year 2022.
The firm eventually directed employees to halt taking new orders and cancel existing shipments.
Source: theinformation.com
Ghost Autonomy
Ghost Autonomy was a developer of autonomous driving software initially focused on supporting highway navigation for passenger vehicles. The company pivoted multiple times over the years, but it struggled to commercialize its products successfully despite raising substantial funding. Ultimately, the company indicated it didn’t see a path to securing the long-term investment it needed to continue developing and eventually commercialize its autonomous driving solutions.
Select VC investors: OpenAI Startup Fund, Khosla Ventures, Coatue
Total equity funding: $239M
Peak valuation: $518M
Instant Insights: Ghost Autonomy shuts down in April 2024, future of assets uncertain
Ghost Autonomy ceased operations after failing to fulfill its promise of developing autonomous driving technology.
Despite receiving substantial venture funding, including $5M from the OpenAI Startup Fund, Ghost Autonomy could not commercialize its product.
The company’s focus shifted from a consumer kit enabling highway autonomy to crash prevention tech and lastly to large language models for self-driving, but these pivots did not lead to a marketable product.
Sources: startupitalia.eu, siliconangle.com, ca.movies.yahoo.com
Superpedestrian
Superpedestrian was a transportation robotics startup focused on micromobility devices like electric scooters. The company raised several funding rounds following its founding in 2012, drawing support from prominent institutional and individual investors. However, Superpedestrian ran into several challenges, including city regulations, compliance costs, a lack of marketing, and ultimately, financial strain. The company sought an exit via M&A, but the deal fell through, forcing it to close.
Select VC investors: General Catalyst, Sony Innovation Fund, Citi Ventures, Spark Capital
Total equity funding: $118M
Peak valuation: $560M
Instant Insights: Funding challenges lead Superpedestrian to shutter in December 2023
Superpedestrian’s plans for a merger and fresh funding fell through at the end of 2023, leading the company to halt operations and lay off most of its staff.
At the time of closure, the company was exploring the sale of its European business.
The company’s woes have been shared by other micromobility players, like Bird, Spin, and Micromobility.com, signaling that pressure is weighing on the broader micromobility market.
Source: techcrunch.com
Phantom Auto
Remote driving startup Phantom Auto started out supporting autonomous vehicles on public roads, such as robotaxis and self-driving trucks. Following a pivot to logistics, the company gained traction. However, its ability to scale remained contingent upon external funding sources, putting it in a vulnerable position as funding dried up amid the venture slowdown. Unable to close a new funding round, the company was forced to shutter its operations.
Select VC investors: Alumni Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, ArcBest, NFI
Total equity funding: $86M
Peak valuation: $525M
Instant Insights: Phantom Auto closes shop in March 2024 amid funding shortfall
Phantom Auto failed to secure the additional funding necessary to continue operations.
External funding dependence and unforeseen difficulties securing a new round were critical factors leading to the shutdown.
The startup pivoted in 2019 to concentrate on logistics, but commercial deployment challenges and a tough fundraising environment forced it to close.
Sources: techcrunch.com, linkedin.com
Send me your community news to share!
Robot News
Rise of the Robots - Reuters
When will the humanoid patent wars break out? - T+P
NVIDIA AI UNLEASH
This three person robotics startup is working with designer Yves Behar to bring humanoids home - TechCrunch
Collaborative Robotics hires a former Amazon AI leader, opens Seattle office after $100M round - Microsoft News
Meet the millenial CEO of the $304 million-a-year robotics giant that’s partnered with NVIDIA - Fortune
Horizon Robotics seeks $696 million in Hong Kong IPO, would be city’s largest in 2024 - Reuters
Boston Dynamics and Toyota Research Team Up on Robots - The partnership aims to make Atlas into a general-purpose humanoid - IEEE Spectrum
Robots and AI-powered assistive tech are poised to transform accessibility and mobility - Business Insider
Takayuki Ito Elected President of the International Federation of Robotics - IFR
Low-cost touch sensor shows promise for large-scale robotics applications - Tech Xplore
Folding the future: The rise of origami-inspired robots - NSF
Google tests robots for managing data center hard drives and equipment - DCD
Corvus Robotics soars to new heights with Series A round for drone inventory - The Robot Report
Bipedal robot combines multiple sci-fi franchises - Boing Boing
Remote-control robots could help humanity explore the moon and Mars - Space.com
Serve Robotics Rolls Out Third Generation Autonomous Delivery Robot; Platform Upgrade Will Support National Scaling - Globe Newswire
What it’s like getting a robot massage at Equinox - NYLON
Kinetic Automation is using AI, robotics to make EV repairs easier - Yahoo Finance
Inside a high-tech parking garage where robots valet park your car - CNBC
How robots lift, spin and precisely park a Ferrari - CNBC
Robot-run restaurants are coming to Walmart - Restaurant Business
Inside Amazon’s massive robot rollout: A grand labor experiment with so much at stake - Fortune
China: Walker S1 humanoid robot starts manual jobs at world’s largest EV maker - Interesting Engineering
Humanoid robot could recharge China’s manufacturing labor shortage - South China Morning Post
Humanoid robots hold promise for China but remain far off, says HKU’s robotics head - South China Morning Post
Robot developers keep making it seem like housebots are imminent when they’re decades away - The Conversation
Elon Musk accused of copying designs by I, Robot director - BBC
Fake tech demos, a brief history - Mashable
Robot Events
Also see all the events and special offers for startups looking to export or partner overseas from the Dept of Commerce!
FIRA is back! October 22-24 Woodland CA
🚀 hashtag#FIRAUSA24: Unveiling the Future of AgTech!
🧑🌾 FIRA USA event: October 22-24
🌟 Highlights:
• Unparalleled networking for farmers, manufacturers, and scientists
• In-field demos of cutting-edge autonomous solutions
• Business meetings and research discussions
• Focus on specialty crops: vegetables, vines, fruit, and nut trees
Don't miss this opportunity to shape the future of agriculture!
🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/eHJDFK3F
The local events I’m going to be at…
Stanford Robotics Center Opening - Nov 2nd - by invitation only
Bots&Beer - Nov 6 - San Jose CTE
DIY Robocars & Brazilian BBQ - Dec 7
Humanoid Robotics Summit - Mountain View - Dec 11 - 12
SVR Robotics Entrepreneur Workshop on Dec 13 - get the news first here :)
And some more robotics conferences (and I’ll see you at CSAIL, BARS, ROSCon, Masters&Robots, ICSR and more tbd):
ROSCon Odense DK Oct 21 - Oct 23
Masters&Robots Warsaw Poland Oct 22 - Oct 23
ROS Industrial Conference Odense DK Oct 24 - Oct 25
ICSR+AI Odense DK Oct 24 - Oct 26
CORL Munich DE Nov 6 - Nov 9
IEEE Future of Telepresence Pasadena CA Nov 16 - Nov 17
Humanoids 2024 Nancy FR Nov 26 - Nov 28
ISRR - 40th Anniversary - Long Beach CA Dec 8 - Dec 12
2025
HRI 2025 Melbourne Australia March 4 - March 6
ProMat 2025 Chicago IL Mar 17 - Mar 20
ICRA 2025 Atlanta Georgia 17 May - 23 May 2025