<div>
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 Agility Robotics, a humanoid robot developer, has announced changes to its leadership team. Daniel Diez has been appointed chief strategy officer, Melonee Wise as chief product officer, and Pras Velagapudi as chief technology officer. The new appointments are expected to help focus Agility Robotics' strategic priorities on productization and commercialization.
 
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 Diez will be in charge of setting the overall business and go-to-market strategies, Wise will continue leading the company's engineering initiatives alongside managing a new product organization, and Velagapudi will spearhead product-related innovation and technological developments.
 
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 Daniel Diez previously served as the chief commercial officer at Magic Leap and held multiple roles at Transform Brands and R/GA. Melonee Wise was formerly with Zebra Technologies and Fetch Robotics, with experience in autonomous robot development. Pras Velagapudi has worked in various roles relating to robotics and AI, including his term as chief architect of mobile robotics at Berkshire Grey and co-founder of Platypus, a robotics tech firm.
 
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 Analyst QuickTake: 
 Agility Robotics is in the process of commercializing its technology. It has partnered with Amazon to test its units at the latter&rsquo;s warehousing facilities 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22840">
 (October 2023)
 </a>
 and GXO Logistics to test robots at a facility in Georgia 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24716">
 (December 2023).
 </a>
 
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 <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515782326/en/Agility-Robotics-Strengthens-Leadership-Team">
 Press release
 </a>
 
</div>

Last-mile Delivery Automation

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>
 Agility Robotics, a company specializing in humanoid robot development, has made significant changes to its leadership team by appointing Daniel Diez, Melonee Wise, and Pras Velagapudi as chief strategy officer, chief product officer, and chief technology officer respectively. These additions are anticipated to enhance the strategic focus towards productization and commercialization within the company.
 Within their new roles, Diez is tasked with setting overreaching business and market strategies, Wise will manage a new product organization in addition to maintaining her position spearheading the engineering initiatives while Velagapudi will be leading the product-related innovation as well as technological advancements. 
 Prior to joining Agility Robotics, Diez held prominent roles such as the chief commercial officer at Magic Leap and various positions at Transform Brands and R/GA. Wise brings in expertise in autonomous robot development from her time at Zebra Technologies and Fetch Robotics. Velagapudi, on the other hand, boasts a strong background in robotics and AI, having co-founded a robotics tech firm, Platypus and holding the position of chief architect of mobile robotics at Berkshire Grey.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Agility Robotics is in the process of commercializing its technology. It has partnered with Amazon to test its units at the latter’s warehousing facilities <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/22840"> (October 2023) </a> and GXO Logistics to test robots at a facility in Georgia <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/24716"> (December 2023). </a>

Agility Robotics announces changes to leadership team

<div>
 Autonomous vehicle technology developer, Motional, has laid off approximately 550 employees, which is around 40% of its staff. This action stems from the company's internal restructuring and its decision to <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29174"> postpone </a> the launch of its robotaxis until 2026. The delay allows the firm to concentrate on refining its technology and honing its business model.
 The layoffs affected a range of departments within the company, including software, technical program, high-performance computing, remote vehicle assistance, testing, product, safety, cybersecurity, and legal. Additionally, the company is closing its Venice office in Los Angeles which was previously responsible for managing the now-halted Uber Eats delivery operations.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Hyundai invested nearly USD 1 billion in Motional <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/29057"> earlier in May, </a> increasing its stake to 85%, following <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/26156"> Aptiv’s decision </a> to reduce its investment due to the high costs of commercializing robotaxi technology. We believe the recent funding would help Motional to further refine its technology and relaunch operations in the future, despite the staff reductions today.

Motional lays off 40% statt amid business restructuring effort

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 Autonomous vehicle technology developer, Motional, is postponing its plans for a commercial driverless robotaxi service from 2024 to 2026. This change is resultant from a restructuring process the company is undergoing in order to refine its technology, business model, and preserve funds.
 In addition to this, restructuring will also lead to a decrease in employee count. The company is yet to declare the exact figure of staff members affected by this decision.
 Motional is suspending its operations, including autonomous rides in Las Vegas which were provided through<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13614"> Uber </a> , <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12419"> Lyft </a>, and a delivery service in Santa Monica with<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10438"> Uber Eats </a>.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Hyundai invested nearly USD 1 billion in Motional <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/29057"> earlier in May </a> —increasing its stake to 85%—following <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/26156"> Aptiv’s decision </a> to reduce its investment due to the high costs of commercializing robotaxi technology. We believe the recent funding would help Motional to further refine its technology and relaunch operations in the future.

Motional delays commercial robotaxi launch until 2026 to restructure operations and refine technology; suspends current operations

<div>
 UK company Wayve, which specializes in autonomous vehicle tech, has successfully raised USD 1.05 billion in a Series C funding round. Major participants of this round included SoftBank Group, NVIDIA, and their existing investor, Microsoft. With this latest round of investment, Wayve's total funds now stand at over USD 1.3 billion.
 The funds accrued will be utilized by the company to further advance its AI-assisted automotive technologies and autonomous driving technologies. Furthermore, Wayve also intends to use this capital to broaden its operations at a global level.
 This funding round has not only been recognized as the largest AI fundraiser in the UK but also ranks among the top 20 AI fund raises worldwide.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Wayve is one of the few companies that offers autonomous vehicle technologies for passenger vehicles and last-mile delivery applications; hence, it is featured in our <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/industry/70"> Auto Tech </a> and <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/industry/1"> Last-mile Delivery Automation </a> hubs. With today’s fund raise, Wayve leapfrogs as the second-highest funded privately held company in the Auto Tech space, after US- and China-based autonomous vehicle tech company <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/588243"> Pony.ai, </a> which has raised USD 1.33 million to date. The company has also become the second-highest funded startup in the Last-mile Delivery Automation space after peer autonomous delivery vehicle developer <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/454812"> Nuro, </a> which has raised USD 2.1 billion to date.

Wayve raises USD 1.05 billion in Series C funding led by SoftBank

<div>
 Hyundai plans to invest nearly USD 1 billion in the Hyundai-Aptiv autonomous vehicle joint venture, Motional. This investment will provide the startup capital for continued operations. The specifics of the deal include Hyundai injecting USD 475 million directly into the joint venture and buying additional equity worth USD 448 million from its partner Aptiv. As a result, Hyundai will gain an 85% majority stake in Motional.
 Aptiv, which formerly held half the stakes in Motional, is diminishing its investment due to the expensive costs and extensive timeframe required to commercialize robotaxis.
 The completion of this deal is expected to occur by the third quarter of 2024, pending approval from regulatory bodies and customary closing conditions.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Motional, resulting from a <a href="https: 
//techcrunch.com/2019/09/23/aptiv-and-hyundai-form-new-joint-venture-focused-on-autonomous-driving/"> USD 4 billion collaboration </a> between Hyundai and Aptiv, is working on commercializing autonomous taxis by 2024. However, the funding situation for Motional became uncertain as Aptiv decided to cut stake and discontinue future funding <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/26156"> in January 2024, </a> leaving Hyundai as the primary backer unless Motional attracted additional investors. We believe the new funds injected by Hyundai would help the company’s continued operations. Motional also secured a bridge loan to meet temporary financial needs <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/27629"> in March 2024. </a> The broader robotaxi industry is marked by uncertainty and gradual progress toward commercial viability, with incumbents like Alphabet’s Waymo <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/28523"> expanding its services </a> and others like GM’s Cruise <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/28329"> recovering from setbacks. </a>

Motional receives USD 448 million from Hyundai; Hyundai to buy out stake from Aptiv for controlling 85% interest

<div>
 Amazon has partnered with Embention, a provider of drone components and autopilot, to improve the safety of its Prime Air drone delivery service. Embention will supply safety-focused software and hardware to Amazon's Prime Air drones.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Amazon's latest <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/14505"> Prime Air drone, “MK30,” </a> is set to debut later this year, designed for dense suburban delivery areas. Currently, the company is conducting delivery flights in College Station, Texas, using its existing drone model. The company also had operations in Lockeford, California, but it was discontinued <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/28707"> earlier this month </a> . It has planned to launch the service in Tolleson, Arizona, later this year and also to expand the service to Amazon Prime customers in <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/22843"> the UK and Italy </a> once the MK30 model is live.

Amazon partners with Embention to enhance safety of Prime Air drones

<div>
 MightyFly, a provider of drone-based delivery services, has been granted approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a flight corridor between the New Jerusalem and Byron Airports in California, a distance of 20 miles. This approval will allow MightyFly to conduct various flight tests with their “2024 Cento” drone. The drone has the capability to operate beyond the visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) of the operator and will be monitored by a chase plane.
 MightyFly highlights the potential of their drone for B2B fast logistics in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and defense. The company has plans to scale production through a Series A investment round.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Today’s approval marks a significant step forward for MightyFly, as it looks to test and commercialize its drone technology. The company unveiled its third-gen 2024 Cento drone <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/25965"> in January 2024, </a> which can carry a maximum payload of around 100 lbs while cruising at a speed of 150 mph at a range of around 600 m.

MightyFly receives FAA approval for test flight corridor in California

<div>
 In Knoxville, Tennessee, regulators have prohibited the use of delivery droids on streets and sidewalks due to insufficient infrastructure. The decision was made after assessing applications from droid operators requesting to introduce their robots in the city.
 While the city might reconsider this decision in the future, currently only Starship Technologies is allowed to continue its droid-based food delivery service at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. However, the service is restricted to on-campus deliveries due to the imposed ban on off-campus activities.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Although Tennessee state regulations <a href="https: 
//trackbill.com/bill/tennessee-senate-bill-2836-traffic-safety-as-enacted-establishes-requirements-for-the-operation-of-personal-delivery-devices-specifies-that-a-personal-delivery-device-may-be-operated-in-pedestrian-areas-up-to-10-miles-per-hour-and-is-not-considered-a-motor-vehicle-amends-tca-title-55-chapter-1-title-55-chapter-10-title-55-chapter-12-and-title-55-chapter-8/1888807/"> approved </a> the operation of droids in 2020, the enacted ban in Knoxville will now restrict companies from deploying droids within the city. However, Knoxville is not the only city that has considered restricting delivery droids. Early adopters <a href="https: 
//www.bbc.com/news/technology-42265048"> San Francisco (California) </a> and <a href="https: 
//globalnews.ca/news/9324385/food-delivery-robots-canada-challenges/"> Toronto (Canada) </a> also later imposed restrictions or bans on robots due to concerns over pedestrian safety.&nbsp;

Delivery droids banned in Knoxville, Tennessee

<div>
 Starship Technologies, a company specializing in manufacturing autonomous delivery droids, has widened its alliance with S-Group, a retail cooperative based in Finland. The partnership aims to enlarge the footprint of droid-enabled delivery services throughout Finland.
 The droids initially started their operations in Lohja in December 2023 and have now included new store locations in Karkkila, Somero, Tupuri, and Sale Hermanni in the Salo region, coupled with Sale Perttilä and Tynninharju in Lohja.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Starship Technologies entered the Finnish market <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/9730"> in April 2022 </a> and partnered with S-Group <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/18237"> in May 2023 </a> to pilot the service. Today’s extended partnership shows the increasing interest in such contactless deliveries among Finnish consumers and will help strengthen the company’s presence in the market.

Starship Technologies extends partnership with S-Group to expand robot food delivery in Finland

<div>
 Alphabet's drone delivery division, Wing, is partnering with the National Health Services (NHS) in the UK to test drone-based blood sample deliveries between London hospitals. They will be working alongside Apian, a medical logistics firm and this project will be financially supported by the NHS.
 The service is set to roll out in summer of this year, and is planned to run for six months, with potential expansion if successful. The drones will be used to transport high-priority samples between Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in South London. The goal is to make 10 daily deliveries during weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the trial period.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Alphabet Wing’s upcoming UK trial would mark the company’s first drone-based delivery operations in the country. This positions the company to potentially launch ahead of <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/203208"> Amazon </a> <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/22843"> this year. </a> Furthermore, Wing has previously collaborated with Apian <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/21053"> in August 2023 </a> for drone deliveries in Ireland. On a separate note, NHS is already experienced in drone-based deliveries, having previously conducted UK trials in partnership with startups including <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/69024"> Zipline </a> <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/25057"> (December 2023), </a> &nbsp; <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/865738"> Skyports </a> <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/20818"> (August 2023), </a> and <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/companies/1311070"> Skyfarer </a> <a href="https: 
//www.commercialdroneprofessional.com/coventry-universitys-medical-drone-start-up-skyfarer-takes-flight/"> (September 2020). </a>

All Updates

Agility Robotics announces changes to leadership team

Motional lays off 40% statt amid business restructuring effort

Motional delays commercial robotaxi launch until 2026 to restructure operations and refine technology; suspends current operations

Wayve raises USD 1.05 billion in Series C funding led by SoftBank

Motional receives USD 448 million from Hyundai; Hyundai to buy out stake from Aptiv for controlling 85% interest

Amazon partners with Embention to enhance safety of Prime Air drones

MightyFly receives FAA approval for test flight corridor in California

Delivery droids banned in Knoxville, Tennessee

Starship Technologies extends partnership with S-Group to expand robot food delivery in Finland

Alphabet's Wing partners with NHS and Apian for drone-based blood sample deliveries between London hospitals

Last-mile Delivery Automation

Agility Robotics announces changes to leadership team

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