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mimic

mimic provides a flexible and intuitive answer to labor shortages worldwide, by building and deploying robots that fit seamlessly into human workplaces. Their scalable foundation AI model enables truly dexterous robotic manipulation by learning directly from human data.

Mimic is a Swiss startup developing innovative robotic solutions powered by generative AI. Founded as a spinoff from ETH Zurich, the company has introduced a dexterous robotic hand that can mimic human actions and learn complex tasks simply by observing demonstrations.

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Based in Switzerland, Mimic offers a multi-purpose robotic arm that can imitate a human hand to execute tasks that require complex motor skills. The company leverages a foundation AI model to enable the robot to reason with and understand the physical world and be programmed using minimal demonstrations and engineering resources. <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29264">As of May 2024,</a> the company had plans to launch the product by the end of 2024.

Using data and automation to achieve 24/7 production.

Smart Factory

Mimic

Mimic is a Swiss startup developing innovative robotic solutions powered by generative AI. Founded as a spinoff from ETH Zurich, the company has introduced a dexterous robotic hand that can mimic human actions and learn complex tasks simply by observing demonstrations.Mimic's core offering is a robotic hand with human-like dexterity and manipulation capabilities. It utilizes a proprietary foundation AI model trained on large datasets of humans performing manual tasks. This allows the robotic hand to understand and imitate any task by merely watching someone execute it. The robotic hand is designed to be a universal manipulator compatible with off-the-shelf robotic arms for positioning.The company's approach represents a departure from conventional robotic solutions tailored for specific use cases. Instead, mimic's general-purpose technology enables a single robot design to handle a wide variety of tasks across industries with minimal task-specific programming.

UBTech Robotics is a Shenzhen-based company that manufactures humanoid robots for various applications. UBTech's product lineup includes educational robots, logistics robots, and intelligent service robots customized for specific industries like manufacturing and healthcare.Their humanoid robots are equipped with capabilities like sensing, voice interaction, navigation, greeting visitors, and performing tasks such as walking and grasping objects. Key products include the Alpha small humanoid launched in 2014, the Walker humanoid service robot introduced in 2018 for general services, and the upgraded Walker X released in 2021.

UBTech Robotics

Figure is a robotics startup founded with the goal of developing the world's first commercially viable general-purpose humanoid robot called Figure 01. The company is led by CEO Brett Adcock and CTO Jerry Pratt, a renowned roboticist who previously worked at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC).
Figure one is designed to mimic the human form, standing five feet six inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, and capable of lifting up to 44 pounds. It features 41 degrees of freedom, including seven in each arm, six in each leg, and a six degree-of-freedom hand with an opposable thumb. The robot is fully electric, running for five hours on a single charge.
Figure one aims to address labor shortages by assisting human workers in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail settings. It leverages advanced AI and machine learning capabilities to perform tasks autonomously, enabling it to navigate complex environments, grasp objects, and manipulate tools. In March 2024, Figure demonstrated the robot handling warehouse tasks such as picking up bins and placing them on a conveyor belt.
Key customers and partnerships
In January 2024, Figure announced a commercial agreement with BMW to deploy its robots on the automaker's production lines.
Figure has also entered a collaboration with OpenAI to develop next-generation AI models specifically for humanoid robots. This partnership aims to enhance Figure 01's ability to process and reason from language, accelerating its commercial deployment timeline.

Figure

Agile Robots AG is a robotics company founded as a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The company's mission is to bridge the gap between artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics by developing systems that combine state-of-the-art force-moment sensing and world-leading image processing technology. This unique combination enables Agile Robots to provide intelligent, user-friendly, and affordable robotic solutions that facilitate safe human-robot interaction.
Agile Robots offers a range of robotic arms for industrial applications as well as research and educational purposes. Their product portfolio includes industrial robot arms, collaborative robot (cobot) arms, robotic software, an anthropomorphic robotic hand, and an educational platform called Aini that teaches foundational concepts in logic, computer science, mathematics, and physics by enabling students aged eight to 15 to program and operate robots.
In November 2023, Agile Robots acquired Franka Emika GmbH, a German robotics company known for its Panda collaborative robot arm. The acquisition, valued at over 30 million euros, allowed Agile Robots to expand its operations, retain Franka Emika's 100-person workforce, and strengthen its position in the robotics industry.
As of November 2022, Agile Robots had over 1,000 employees worldwide. The company established a production facility in Kaufbeuren, Germany, with plans to hire an additional 60 employees and manufacture 2,500 robots per year within a few years.
Key customers and partnerships
In October 2023, Agile Robots gained idealworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group focused on industrial automation, as a majority shareholder through a Series A financing round. This strategic partnership enables the joint development of new solutions and technologies, as well as access to further branches and markets. Agile Robots and idealworks complement each other in their industry expertise and range of solutions, with idealworks bringing in the BMW Group as one of its largest customers and its industrial know-how.

Agile Robots

SoftBank Robotics is a leading provider of robotic solutions for various industries, including food service, cleaning, and logistics. The company's core offerings include autonomous cleaning robots like the Whiz series and Scrubber 50 Pro, tray delivery robots such as Servi, Keenbot T5, and Delivery X1, as well as logistics automation solutions leveraging technologies like AutoStore's high-density automated warehousing system.
SoftBank Robotics' cleaning robots, powered by artificial intelligence, can efficiently clean and disinfect floors while detecting and removing stains. The tray delivery robots are designed to optimize operations in the food service industry, reducing staff workload by autonomously transporting food and drinks between tables and the kitchen. The company's logistics solutions aim to optimize warehouse operations by maximizing space utilization and enabling efficient storage and retrieval of goods.

SoftBank Robotics

Agility Robotics is a company that develops and manufactures bipedal robots for industrial and commercial applications. Its flagship product is Digit, a human-sized bipedal robot designed to perform tasks such as moving heavy materials, picking up and putting down objects, and navigating through human-centric environments like warehouses and factories.
Digit is built on the principles of the spring-mass model, which replicates the dynamics of animal gaits to achieve efficient and natural bipedal locomotion. The robot's legs are modeled after an ostrich's, with a short thigh segment and long lower legs, enabling it to walk and run with remarkable energy economy. Digit is equipped with sensors and perception systems that allow it to operate autonomously or with human guidance.
Agility Robotics' technology has its roots in research conducted at Oregon State University, where the company was spun out in 2015. The company's early work focused on developing the ATRIAS and Cassie robots, which demonstrated the feasibility of using the spring-mass model for bipedal locomotion. Building on this research, Agility Robotics has commercialized the technology through Digit, which it began mass-producing in 2023.

Agility Robotics

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for research and education purposes in various fields such as science, technology, and academia

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for personal support and caregiving to assist individuals in their homes with tasks like cleaning, cooking, and providing companionship; includes applications in the medical and healthcare industry, such as assisting with surgeries, rehabilitation, or acting as companions for patients

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for entertainment purposes and social interaction. They can be used in public spaces, events, or as personal companions

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for commercial services across various industries such as retail, hospitality, and customer service

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for industrial and manufacturing settings to perform tasks such as assembly, material handling, and quality control

Companies that develop software and hardware that enable humanoid robot technology (e.g., sensors, grippers, cognitive architecture, robotic applications/software, etc.)

Uses IoT, AI/ML, and robotics to mimic human actions, kinesthetics, and mental state

Most of the companies in the industry use robotics technology to develop humanoid robots

SparkCognition offers a suite of AI-powered data analytics solutions for businesses, specializing in the industrial sector. The company’s offerings include: 1) Industrial AI Suite, which enables users to connect datasets with configurable AI models, identify and contextualize risks to equipment, analyze maintenance actions, monitor performance, and visualize multi-asset systems, without requiring coding experience, and 2) Visual AI Advisor, which leverages computer vision to analyze real-time data from existing camera infrastructure for a number of different use cases, such as safety monitoring, visual inspection, and machine monitoring.&nbsp;In May 2023, the company launched the Generative AI Suite, a solution specifically tailored for the industrial sector, which enables users to build and deploy custom large language models (LLMs) on either private or on-premise cloud environments. Users also autonomously augment data sets by generating text, images, audio, and other signals and create imagery for use in simulated real-world environments. It claims to reduce the amount of foundational information needed for decision-making by up to 20x.Since 2021, the company has acquired a number of companies to further develop its product offering. This includes Indian visual AI startup <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9370?industryIds=6">Integration Wizards</a> (March 2022) to expand its intellectual property (IP) portfolio to improve vision capabilities as well as digital knowledge platform Maana (July 2021), software developer for the renewable energy industry Ensemble Energy (May 2021), and financial technology company AIM2 (February 2021).&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsSparkCognition’s clientele comprises large companies such as Boeing, Hitachi, and British Petroleum. It has also built partnerships with Google for cloud platform services, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise to offer AI predictive maintenance on HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems, and OSIsoft to integrate SparkCognition’s machine learning technology with OSIsoft’s PI system to improve data and process data analytics.&nbsp;

SparkCognition

Sight Machine offers a manufacturing data platform that captures and contextualizes data from factories to deliver a system-wide view of the manufacturing process as well as individual assets. The platform transforms raw plant data as well as data from machines of various manufacturers into a standardized data foundation and provides actionable insights for a range of use cases such as predictive maintenance, quality improvement, and capacity utilization. Users can analyze all assets, data sources, and processes by creating digital twins, thereby improving processes, quality, and productivity.&nbsp;In October 2022, Sight Machine introduced <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13696?industryIds=6">Blueprint</a>, a tool developed in collaboration with NVIDIA and Microsoft, which uses AI for high-speed, automated data labeling. The company claims that this solution enables manufacturers to analyze up to 100x more of their data than traditional methods.&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsSight Machine caters to at least 15 verticals, such as food and beverage, electronics, and automotive. Its global clientele includes Fortune 500 companies such as Nissan, Heineken, Westrock Co., and Asian Paints.&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21955">In September 2023</a>, Sight Machine partnered with LS Electric, a power and automation solutions provider, to create an AI-driven Big Data analytics platform tailored for the manufacturing and energy sectors. In December 2023, the company went on to partner with Teamviewer, a remote collaboration solutions provider, to offer a joint product that combines the latter’s remote connectivity and industrial AR solutions with its real-time data and analysis for industrial processes.&nbsp;Sight Machine has established partnerships with large global companies such as Microsoft, Google, Databricks, Siemens, and AWS to integrate with their data analytics platforms and Fujitsu to help with wide deployments. In July 2023, the platform also became a certified Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing partner and released Factory CoPilot, integrating its Manufacturing Data Platform with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to offer GenAI capabilities for manufacturing analysis and real-time insights. The company went on to launch the<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/33441"> Sight Machine connector for Databricks</a> (in September 2024), to integrate its manufacturing data platform with the latter’s data intelligence platform.

Sight Machine

Overview offers smart cameras and AI to enable users to monitor manufacturing equipment and robots and identify defects in real time before significant damage or downtime is incurred. The technology has a repository of machine data so that there is a traceable visual record of all units.&nbsp;With AI, the cause of production issues and quality concerns can be identified either on-site or remotely. The company claims over time, the deep learning computer vision algorithms allow for any sudden substantial increases in production and improved yields. Moreover, it reportedly offers 100% visual traceability and an over 99.9% uptime.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsAs of September 2024, the solution was used by a number of enterprises, including Schaeffler, ThermoFischer, Honda, Caterpillar, and Tyson.&nbsp;

Overview

Bright Machines combines robotics, machine learning, and computer vision to provide automation applications for the electronics manufacturing industry. Its flagship product is the “Bright Machines Microfactory,” a pre-integrated, programmable assembly line that can be deployed in existing and new production facilities. The Microfactory runs on the company's proprietary “Brightware” cloud-based software platform, offering a scalable solution that enables manufacturers to enhance supply chain resilience and adapt production capacity according to market demand. This software-defined manufacturing allows factories to change the products that they manufacture if needed. The company offers its service on a subscription-based microfactory-as-a-service (MaaS) business model.The company reportedly generated USD 83 million in revenue in 2021. In May 2021, Bright Machines reported that its revenue doubled each year since its inception (2018) and forecasts a 5-year CAGR (2020-2025) of over 84%.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsBright Machines served over 40 manufacturing companies as of October 2022.The company collaborated with Microsoft Azure in May 2024 to leverage the latter’s infrastructure to deliver a full-stack environment for all stages of the manufacturing lifecycle.The company also has distribution/sales partnerships with Anstar Corporation (April 2021), SMT Capital (April 2021), MaRC Technologies (May 2021), PAC Global (May 2021), Restronics (June 2021), <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/3618">BROCK Electronics</a> (June 2021), <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/4740">Murray Percival</a> (July 2021), <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/4412">Competitive Edge Manufacturing Equipment</a> (CEME; July 2021).Key competitors: None comparable (Bright Machines is the only company in the smart factory industry that offers microfactories-as-a-service, which combines intelligent software with adaptive hardware to automate manufacturing processes.)

Bright Machines

Augury offers AI-based predictive maintenance solutions. It uses wireless halo sensors to record the vibration, temperature, and magnetism of machines and upload them to the cloud, where AI will be used to diagnose faults and predict potential malfunctions. The system can predict failures and provide early, actionable insights on equipment status, allowing companies to plan maintenance more effectively. Augury offers Machine Health solutions for Critical Assets (MH CR) and Supporting Equipment (MH SE).&nbsp;Furthermore, it offers a warranty policy (one-of-a-kind in the predictive maintenance field) for up to USD 100,000 of repairs and replacements if the software fails to successfully predict machine faults. The company reported that its machine health (predictive maintenance) solutions can deliver an ROI of 3x–10x. In December 2023, the company launched a product loss guarantee solution, in partnership with HSB, which covers a broader range of production-related assets, including protection against production loss due to mechanical failures.&nbsp;In May 2022, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10286">Augury acquired Seebo,</a> another Israeli company that offers predictive quality and yield solutions for manufacturers to identify process-driven inefficiencies.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsAugury has built a customer base consisting of companies such as Hershey’s, Colgate-Palmolive, Grundfos, Heineken, Danone, and Bausch Health. The company announced an insurance plan for its customers in 2020, partly as a strategy to attract more customers. Augury’s Machine Health Solutions are integrated with PTC’s ThingWorx IoT through a partnership in July 2020 and are available in the PTC Marketplace. In October 2021, it partnered with Baker Hughes, a provider of energy technology solutions, which integrated Augury’s solutions into its System 1 software and asset performance management (APM) solutions. It went on to integrate Baker Hughes’ “Ranger Pro” wireless condition monitoring sensor and “Cordant” gateway into its platform in June 2024.&nbsp;In November 2023, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23991">Augury partnered with IFS Ultimo</a>, a provider of cloud-based enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions, to offer machine health monitoring and asset management workflows for industries. It went on to partner with DSV, a logistics solutions provider, in March 2024, to introduce a new Parts As a Service (PaaS) solution. The solution utilizes machine health to predict machine faults and enables users to automate the procurement of replacement parts.

Augury

Companies that provide robotic fleet management software, robotic automation software, and inspection software.

Companies that provide an industrial IoT platform across factories as the primary offering.

Companies that provide cobots, sorting/ picking robotics, modular production robotics, and microfactories.

Companies that focus on data analytics for operations streamlining and process optimization, and may offer predictive maintenance.

Companies that provide autonomous mobile robots (AMR) or self-driving vehicles (SDV) used in manufacturing/ factory operations.

Companies that monitor the manufacturing equipment and assembly lines.

Companies that provide predictive maintenance as a primary offering. 

Creates digital twins of assets and processes to help manufacturers improve processes, quality, and productivity

Connected devices, sensors, IoT, and analytics are used to optimize factory operations

Uses advanced robotics, AMRs, and related software to improve the efficiency of factory operations

Uses connected devices and sensors to gather data—IIoT, predictive analysis, and equipment inspection

Uses AI/ML to analyze data for predictive maintenance and AI-based vision systems for line inspections

5G standard allows for faster reaction times and supports high connection densities

Uses edge computing for data processing at the edge

Some companies in the predictive maintenance space uses generative AI to generate possible alternative scenarios

<div>
 
Mimic Robotics, a Swiss manufacturer specializing in robotic technology, has successfully raised EUR 2.3 million (~USD 2.47 million) in a pre-seed funding round. This round was led by Founderful and saw participation from another.vc, Tiny.vc, and several angel investors.

The fundraising will enable the company to continue developing its base AI model and humanoid robotic arm, with plans to launch these products by the year's end of 2024.

Mimic, which is based in Switzerland, offers a multi-purpose robotic arm that imitates human hand movements, capable of performing tasks requiring complex motor skills. To achieve this, the company uses a foundational AI model that enables the robot to understand and interact with the physical world, requiring minimal demonstrations and engineering resources for programming.

</div>

Mimic

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